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A new exhibition was opened at Carsington Water to mark 30 years since the Queen opened the popular Derbyshire beauty spot.

Sunday marked 30 years to the day since the site was opened to the public for the first time and since then it has gone on to welcome over 30 million visitors. 

A new exhibition called Severn Trent’s Wonderful World of Water was officially opened at the visitor centre during Sunday’s celebrations, 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.

The free exhibition is aimed at Key Stage 2 children but contains lots of interactive elements to keep the whole family entertained – from learning what people have used to wipe their bums with throughout time, to sifting through the goo box to see what crazy items Severn Trent finds in its sewers. 

After the ribbon was cut by Severn Trent’s Head of Customer Contact, Hilary Bennett, families streamed into the new attraction, with local councillors having a sneak peek earlier in the day.

As well as the opening of the new exhibition, a family fun day took place at the picturesque site including free activities including bouncy castles and birds of prey demonstrations.

Carsington Water supplies customers from Buxton to Nottingham and everywhere in between. Up to 206 megalitres of water is supplied per day from the reservoir - enough to supply 1,250 families for a full year.

Hilary Bennett, Severn Trent Head of Customer Contact, said: “We were privileged to have Her Majesty the Queen open Carsington Water 30 years ago – the opening of Carsington dramatically changed the local area and supported the opening of many businesses within the area. We are really thankful to those businesses within our community who support us.

“Over the past few years we’ve invested in our sites to make improvements which will be of huge benefit to our local communities. From upgrading paths, to new play areas, to improvements of our facilities, car parks, the exhibition at Carsington and so much more.

“I hope families will enjoy visiting the new exhibition at Carsington for years to come and I’d like to thank our visitors for supporting what is such a special site.”

Severn Trent’s Wonderful World of Water is open every day from 10am to 6pm (5pm in winter).