Soaring visitor numbers signal Saltholme’s success

4th March 2010

Categories: Visitor News

It has been just over a year since the opening of Saltholme, the wildlife reserve and discovery park - and already 100,000 visitors have passed through its doors.

Originally, it was predicted the reserve near Stockton would attract 35,000 visitors in its first year.
 
Dave Braithwaite, who manages Saltholme, said: “It’s been an amazing time for everyone connected with Saltholme. Little did we expect, when we opened our doors for the first time back in January 2009, that in just 13 months, we would welcome our 100,000^th visitor.  In fact, we had predicted it would take us five years before we were attracting so many visitors every year.

“Everyone who worked so hard throughout two decades to turn the Saltholme dream into a reality can be justifiably proud of this success – whether that’s staff and volunteers, partners, funders and supporters or those people who have visited us and been delighted by what’s on offer.”

Dave added: “Almost 20,000 of those visitors came from outside the local area, so these fantastic figures are also good news for the local economy. We know that, with visitors, comes the money they spend, not just on the reserve but with local businesses, as well. They stay in local accommodation, buy in local shops, fill up their cars locally.”

Saltholme is the result of a successful partnership between Teesside Environmental Trust and the RSPB. It cost over £7 million to develop, with £2.4m of investment from One North East. More than 20 full-time and part-time posts have been created at the reserve.

Julia Frater, head of Area Tourism Partnership visitTeesvalley said: “This is an amazing achievement for Saltholme. The growth in its popularity over the last year has been a pleasure to see.

“Saltholme’s success has also had a tremendous effect on the Tees Valley as a whole. Local attractions such as the Transporter Bridge and the Tees Mouth Nature Reserve at Seal Sands are just two that have seen a significant rise in visitors as a direct result of the opening of the wildlife reserve and discovery park.”

And David Kitchen, of the Teesside Environmental Trust, added: “While our visitors immediately appreciate the wildlife and unique industrial setting of Saltholme, it is easy to forget that the reserve is an immensely successful regeneration model. 

“Saltholme contributes to long-term employment and training and is an exemplar of green tourism in Teesside and the North East.

“At TET, we believe that this approach will be copied elsewhere in the UK and continue to be a successful partnership of conservation and industry.”

During the past year, Saltholme has won several awards for architectural excellence, sustainability and customer service.

And the wildlife is impressed with what’s on offer as well. Numbers of lapwings, redshanks, pochards, yellow wagtails and great crested grebes have all increased and rare birds such as a purple heron, citrine wagtail, blue-winged teal, and a pair of bitterns have all be spotted.

“Investing in places like Saltholme and the wildlife that thrives there does pay dividends,” said Dave Braithwaite. “Such an approach is also at the heart of the RSPB’s Letter to the Future campaign which urges politicians to consider the state of the planet that future generations will grow up in when they are making decisions about where to invest money and where to make cuts.

“More places like Saltholme would mean a safer future for the wildlife that our 100,000 visitors clearly cherish.  A healthy, natural environment provides a wider range of benefits from livelihoods to landscapes. 

“By signing the letter, you'll be adding your name to hundreds of thousands of others determined to ensure future generations inherit a world worth living in. people have already added their voices to ours.”

To sign the letter, visit http://www.signtheletter.org

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