THE Mayor of Portland officially reopened the Castletown D-Day Centre this week ready for the summer season.

Castletown D-Day Centre on Portland reopened on Wednesday - with staff and volunteers looking forward to a busy season ahead.

The centre delivers an immersive experience, offering a unique chance to discover the important role played by the Port of Portland during the allied invasion of Northern France on D-Day in June 1944.

The centre features new and improved displays for 2021 as well as a new addition to the vehicle collection.

D-Day Centre Manager John Davis and his team of volunteers were on hand as Cllr West opened the centre, which is part of the Castletown Regeneration Project, spearheaded by Agincare Founder and Chairman Derek Luckhurst.

At the reopening, Mayor of Portland Cllr Sandy West said: “The D-Day Centre is a place to treasure and I’m delighted to be here today.

“It’s the most wonderful place and brilliant for veterans, and as an education centre for children to learn about the sacrifice that people made during D-Day, including our American allies, many of whom left from here and never came back.

“It’s been a real pleasure to see all the amazing regeneration that has been going on in Castletown, where I used to work.”

The family attraction features an authentic recreation of the wartime dockyard where thousands of American troops departed for the beaches of Nazi occupied France.

The centre includes an array of authentic World War Two artefacts and vehicles, including a full-size replica Spitfire, a Bofors 40mm gun and even a restored Sherman tank.

Mr Davis said: “Castletown D-Day Centre is a moving tribute, not only to the bravery of the thousands of troops who defended our freedom, but also to the people of Weymouth and Portland.

“The centre is a fantastic family visitor attraction that offers an unrivalled opportunity to take a trip back in time to discover the great wartime sacrifice made by a heroic generation.”

A collection of pre-war and wartime vintage cars from Transport of Yesteryear will park up at the centre today for visitors to see the type of cars that would have been around during that period.