A project to construct a world-class marine education centre in Aberdeen has received a funding boost.
Aberdeen Harbour Board is to contribute £20,000 of funding to Greyhope Bay to support the organisation’s development.
The £10 million Greyhope Bay project is aiming to create an ambitious marine science and heritage centre on the coast close to Torry which is one of the best places in the UK to see marine life.
Funding was granted through the Aberdeen Harbour Board’s Community Action Fund and will give £10,000 per year for the next two years.
Colin Parker, chief executive of Aberdeen Harbour Board, said the project could become a huge asset to the North-east in attracting visitors.
He said: “Building on our earlier support for this key project, our Board strongly believed that further funding was appropriate.
“A marine education facility at this point would not only represent a great asset for the local community, city and region, it could also become an important visitor attraction for tourists including cruise ship passengers from all over the world.”
RSPB Scotland’s Dolphinwatch at the nearby Torry Battery has been successful in attracting more than 15,000 visitors with the proposals looking to emulate that project.
Greyhope Bay has received a lot of support in the community and further afield.
Marine biologist Fiona McIntyre, who is the mastermind behind the proposals, recently held an exciting weekend of events in a glass-fronted marquee at the site.
The weekend included a Friday night gala dinner and a family fun day where thousands made the trip to the site to see what it had to offer.
A 3D virtual reality tour of the proposed building design was shown and scientists were also on hand to teach the 3,000 visitors all about the ecosystems of the North-sea.