Just in case you missed this story in the press, here's how one of our volunteers helped kick-start our building work.
A Flamborough-based volunteer helped the RSPB start the redevelopment of its Bempton Cliffs nature reserve, when she joined newly appointed contractors, Kemp Developments Ltd, to break the first piece of ground.
Angela Belk, who has been volunteering at Bempton Cliffs, near Bridlington, for 24 years asked if she could knock the first brick out of the old building to mark the start of the project. East Yorkshire company, Kemp, went one step further when they started on site last month, by putting Angela behind the controls of a gigantic earth excavator. Under the supervision of Managing Director, Garry Kemp, and Contract's Manager, Andrew Gillett, Angela got the proof she needed that the new visitor centre development was finally going ahead, having seen several previous attempts fall at the final hurdle.
Talking about when she first started volunteering at Bempton, Angela said: “The cliffs were a lot less popular then – with both the public and the seabirds. There were nowhere near the 23,000 gannets on the cliffs that are there now, and it’s a credit to the RSPB that these cliffs are now home to the largest mainland gannet colony in the UK.”
Over the years Angela has built up a bank of happy memories of her time on the cliff tops – including seeing the first ever gannet chicks on the reserve. From her favourite viewpoint at Bartlett Nab she’s been observing the same pair of gannets returning to the same nesting place for 19 years.
Keith Clarkson, Bempton Cliffs’ site manager, said: “Angela is a wonderful asset to Bempton Cliffs. We know how much the future of the reserve means to her having been so involved in its past and we were delighted to show her how the work is progressing. “Angela represents the thousands of volunteers who have worked at Bempton over the years, and it is with the help of their great efforts that this revamp of the visitor experience is able to go ahead.”
Kemp Developments Ltd who were selected through a tendering process, are a family firm, trading since 1969, based in the small East Yorkshire village of Sigglesthorne. Garry Kemp, Managing Director, said: "We are delighted to have been selected by the RSPB to construct the enlarged visitor centre at Bempton Cliffs, and we’re looking forward to working with the RSPB on such a unique project. The location is very special and deserves a building that does justice to the incredible setting. The design of the new building is very exciting and will be a fantastic facility for visitors. We are very pleased to have been chosen to construct it."
The redevelopment of Bempton Cliffs’ visitor experience, which started at the beginning of September, is taking place thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Coastal Communities Fund (CCF). Bempton Cliffs was awarded £639,700 from HLF to revamp and improve its visitor offer. This, along with £452,784 from CCF, will provide people with the opportunity of experiencing the UK’s largest and most accessible, mainland seabird colony. The reserve and main car parks will be closed until spring 2015, but public footpaths will remain accessible.
Angela gets kitted out by Kemp Construction's Contract Manager, Andrew Gillet.
Angela and representatives from Kemp Construction ready for work.
Angela gets to grips with the monster machinery.