There was plenty of Easter fun down on Oddicombe Beach on Saturday 7 April. Those travelling down on Babbacombe Cliff Railway were greeted by the Babbacombe Ukulele Group who were playing in the bottom station. There was a live jazz band, tombola, a fantastic Easter Egg trail which had children hunting for pictures and getting a free egg when they completed the trail as well as an Easter bonnet parade which attracted some delightful entries from people of all ages. These events and entertainments were all organised by the Friends of Babbacombe Cliff Railway.

The main event however was the opening of the Babbacombe Cliff Railway Visitor Centre. Work on the centre has been going on for months and it finally opened its doors to the public on Saturday. Tony Richardson, Regional Director for the RSPB in the South West and representative of the Heritage Lottery Fund, officially opened the Centre and Torbay Mayor, Gordon Oliver was there keen to have a look around the exhibits. John Ayres, Chairman of the Community Interest Company responsible for the running of the Cliff Railway said “We had a great day. I was delighted that Tony could come along and open the Centre for us. The grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund has enabled the Company to complete the refurbishment of the stations and to create the Centre on the beach much earlier than would have been possible otherwise. I think the centre will be an excellent resource for the community as a whole and will finally give us the opportunity to help people learn a bit more about the Cliff Railway, its history and how it works.”

The Babbacombe Cliff Railway Visitor Centre is free to visit and can be found at the far end of Oddicombe Beach just past the Oddicombe Beach Cafe. For more information about the Cliff Railway and other forthcoming events visit the website at www.babbacombecliffrailway.co.uk