Popular Derbyshire attraction celebrates 30th anniversary of grand opening by the Queen with family fun day

Sunday, May 22 marks 30 years since the Queen opened the site to the public and since then, it has welcomed over 30 million visitors. To celebrate, families are being invited to visit for a day of fun which includes a number of free activities.

As part of the 30th anniversary celebrations, a new exhibition has been installed at the visitor centre, called Severn Trent’s Wonderful World of Water.

On Tuesday, May 17, pupils from Carsington and Hopton Church of England Primary School got a sneak peek of the new exhibition, in which visitors can learn all about where the water they drink comes from, the innovative work Severn Trent does to take care of the region’s environment, and how the company makes sure that customers have access to clean drinking water 24 hours a day.

To mark the milestone, Severn Trent has also invested around £200,000 to improve the free-to-use playground at Carsington Water, along with wider investment at its visitor sites to improve play facilities and accessibility. A changing places toilet is also under construction and is due to open in June.

Back in 1992, the water company created Carsington Reservoir, and it became the ninth largest in the UK. Since then, it has supplied customers from Buxton to Nottingham and everywhere in between. Up to 206 megalitres of water is supplied per day from the reservoir – enough to meet the needs of 1,250 families for a full year.

Not only has Carsington been supplying water for 30 years, but it’s also provided a haven for families and friends to enjoy a great day out, and is one of Severn Trent’s much-loved visitor sites.

The site hosts 15km of walking trails with access to a number of bird hides, a café and restaurant, a newly revamped play area, water sports, fishing, bike hire, sailing and the brand-new exhibition.

The family fun day will take place on Sunday, May 22 from noon to 4.00pm, with the new exhibition being officially opened at 12.00pm. In the afternoon there will be birds of prey demonstrations, face painting, bouncy castles, circus skills workshops and pond dipping. All activities are free and car parking is available all day for £5.

Donna Marshall, Severn Trent’s senior visitor engagement officer, said: “On Sunday we’ll open our new exhibition, and we would love for you to come along and experience it. We’ll be cutting the ribbon at 12.00pm and visitors will then be welcome to explore it and enjoy lots of free, family-friendly activities. We would love to see as many of you there as possible to help us to celebrate this wonderful milestone.

“Carsington Water is a truly wonderful place and we’re looking forward to celebrating this anniversary – we know how important our sites are for our communities and we want to make sure they continue to offer a great value day out for everyone.”

For more information visit the Severn Trent website here.

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