DOUNREAY VISITOR CENTRE The
Dounreay Visitor Centre, rated as a four-star attraction, has
closed its doors for the 2005 season after enjoying yet another successful
season with almost 9,000 people through its doors.The Visitor Centre opened in March this year to encompass the early Easter break and has received a steady flow of tourists from all over the world, as well as members of the local community throughout the season. VisitScotland area director, Scott Armstrong said: “Staff at the Dounreay Visitor Centre should be congratulated on maintaining excellent visitor numbers in 2005. Today’s tourists come in search of new, high-quality experiences and these figures are evidence that Dounreay is meeting that requirement.” The centre explains to visitors the remarkable story of the pioneers who developed the fast reactor programme at Dounreay fifty years ago, and the major clean-up programme now underway to restore the environment. It describes how UKAEA, on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, is working with the local community to establish the north Highlands as an international centre of excellence in nuclear decommissioning - qualities that can sustain the skills and enterprise base of the north Highlands beyond the closure of Dounreay and to safeguard a legacy everyone can be proud of. Tina Wrighton, who manages the centre, says: "The visitor centre plays a crucial part in giving the public the opportunity to find out more about the decommissioning challenges that lie ahead of us and how UKAEA is working with the community to ensure that the benefits of Dounreay can be enjoyed by everyone for years to come." The whole family can enjoy the exhibition and admission to the centre is free with trained and qualified visitor attraction guides on hand to explain the site decommissioning programme. The Visitor Centre will reopen for Easter 2006 and redevelopment plans for the Dounreay exhibition can be found on the Caithness Horizons website at: http://caithnesshorizons.co.uk/ |