30th August 2006 Edale's Moorland Visitor Centre to open on Sep 14th

The new Moorland Visitor Centre at Edale is due to be opened by the Duke of Devonshire on September 14.

Built on the site of the former Fieldhead Information Centre, this is claimed to be the country's first dedicated moorland research centre.

The centre has a roof of sedum turf, with a waterfall tumbling over glass panels into a pool at the entrance.  Interactive exhibitions will explain why the Moors for the Future Project was set up to restore vast tracts of this threatened habitat, and conserve its heritage. "Listening posts" will enable visitors to hear reminiscences of people who lived and worked on the moors.

The Moors for the Future Partnership is hosted by the Peak District National Park Authority, and the Moorland Centre is a cornerstone in this £4.7m project funded largely from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Significant contributions have also come from the Peak District National Park Authority, Countryside Agency, English Nature, Defra, European Regional Development Fund, National Trust, East Midlands Development Agency, local authorities, SITA Environmental Trust, water companies and The Moorland Association, private sector moorland owners.