THE Weymouth RSPB Wetland’s nature reserve has been praised by the borough mayor for generating more than £1million of tourism every year.

It comes after Mayor Councillor Paul Kimber officially opened two new attractions at the RSPB’s Weymouth Wetlands nature reserve at Radipole Lake this week.

The new pond-dipping and duck-feeding platforms are sited next to the reserve’s visitor centre in the Swannery car park.

They’ve been built as part of a a £685,000 planned programme of improvements, which has also seen extensive restoration of the reedbed habitat and other works such as the construction of special homes for otters, an artificial sand martin wall and upgraded footpaths.

Coun Kimber was then joined for a spot of duck feeding by members of the Weymouth Amblers Health Walking Group and three-year-old Lottie Franklin and her mum, Toni, of Wyke Regis in Weymouth.

In cutting the ribbons to open the new platforms, Coun Kimber said it was a proud day and one of the best decisions the borough council had ever made, to hand over the management of Radipole Lake and its sister reserve at Lodmoor to the RSPB.

He said: “These RSPB reserves are very, very precious. They are a jewel in the borough’s crown.

“The RSPB centre is now a serious player in the tourism industry and the value of it cannot be estimated.”

He added: “I hope these two new features at Radipole Lake will encourage even more people, particularly children, to visit and find out about the amazing wildlife right here in the middle of their town.”

Coun Kimber told the Echo how he has been proud to watch the centre grow from strength to strength, and honoured that he was part of the committee that agreed it should take over the area more than 20 years ago.

Toni Franklin commented: “We are so lucky to have all this here and I’ll certainly be spreading the word about what’s good to feed the ducks and swans, like barley and what’s not so good, like bread.”

The BBC’s Springwatch and Autumnwatch presenter Chris Packham has described Weymouth Wetlands as: “a great asset to Weymouth and a brilliantly placed reserve.”

Weymouth Wetlands manager Nick Tomlinson explained: “The aim of all the work we’ve been doing here for the last few years is not only to improve the site for wildlife but also to make the reserve more accessible to everyone and to encourage local people and tourists to visit and enjoy a little bit of wildness on their doorstep.

“This is a wonderful oasis in the middle of town, whether you want to do some serious birdwatching or just go for a quiet walk, whether you want to bring the family for a fun day out and some of the activities we run here or whether you want to learn about the wildlife and ecology of the reserves.”