The new bird hide – which was built by Building Craft Apprentices with the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community scheme – was opened by HRH Prince Charles who made a special journey to Wales last week to unveil the plaque commemorating his visit and cut the ribbon to open the new facility at Llangors Lake, Llangasty.
The Prince met the entire team who designed and constructed the bird hide, as well as representatives from the local community and Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority who helped the project come to fruition.
The new, higher lookout replaces an old bird hide at the same site where views of local wildlife were obscured in the summer by the height of the reeds in the lake. The Prince then joined representatives of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority and local bird watchers to look out over the Lake and survey the wildlife during the official launch.
Since the new hide was erected several species of bird, some not seen at the Lake for more than a decade, have returned to the site.
HRH Prince Charles said of the new bird hide: “I must say approaching it was very exciting. I can’t tell you how wonderful the setting is here down by the loch and how much I admire all the work that has been put into it.
“I do hope that it will provide something very special for the people in this area for many, many years to come. Also, perhaps, it will act as an inspiration for others to realise what you can achieve through sympathy and sensitivity to the landscape, and to materials and craftsmanship.”
Prince’s Foundation Chief Executive, Hank Dittmar said: “It’s a great achievement to see such a beautiful structure officially opened by our President and we hope that it will be well used and loved during the coming years. We are really proud of all of our Building Craft Apprentices who worked so hard on the bird hide project and succeeded in turning the design into reality.
“The Prince’s Foundation is a firm advocate of traditional building skills and through programmes such as the Building Skill in Summer and Building Skill in Craft programme we hope to educate students in these vital skills and help them flourish.”
Mrs Margaret Underwood, Member Champion for Biodiversity for Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, said: “Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority is delighted to have worked with the Prince’s Foundation to bring this beautiful bird hide on the south side of Llangors Lake into being.
“The hide is built using sustainable materials, most of which were sourced from Wales and local suppliers and contractors were used wherever possible. As the lake is a sensitive environment, the design and construction methods succeeded in avoiding any detrimental impacts on the wildlife and ecology of the lake.
“The result is a fantastic high quality facility for people to enjoy the birds and wildlife at Llangors Lake for years to come.”
Gez Richards, Splash Project Officer for Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, added: “One of the main objectives of the two-year Splash project was to produce a new or improved bird hide at Llangors. After 18 months the Prince’s Foundation has managed to get things going again and had the opportunity to make this happen, which has been a good outcome for Splash.
“There’s a perception that the Splash project is just concerned with canoeing, but in fact we’re involved with all aspects of outdoor water recreation. We’ve had a part to play in this project at Llangors Lake by providing funding for the bespoke stained glass window in the new bird hide.”
Anyone wishing to visit the new bird hide is encouraged to follow signs for Llangors village and then the Lake. Parking is in the north car park where toilet facilities and refreshments are also available.
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