West Cumbria Rivers Trust moved into a new base in Keswick last July and on Wednesday, the charity finally opened the doors of its Lake Road base to the public.
Patrons Lord and Lady Egremont, of Cockermouth Castle, cut the ribbon.
United Utilities director Neil Colman made a surprise presentation of a Toyota Hilux pick-up, which had previously been used by the company.
Trust director Jodie Mills said: “The opening went really well and we were delighted to be given the pick-up. Neil’s son had been with us on work experience last year and at one point the car he was in got stuck. He obviously passed this on to his dad!”
The charity moved to its new base in July.
“We used to be based at the United Utilities base at Thirlmere but we outgrew the office quite quickly,” said Jodie.
“This is quite a big step for a little charity to take on a lease.”
The new base sees the information centre on the ground floor, with an office above. There’s a river carpet running through the middle of the centre, which has cut outs of creatures for children to study.
“There is a wildlife board and different activities for the children to do while the mums and dads read about what we do,” added Mrs Mills.
There are a number of display boards, including Thirlmere, past, present and future.
The charity has tackled a host of ventures in West Cumbria to ensure rivers, lakes, estuaries and the surrounding countryside are protected and improved.
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