Global Birdfair thrives in its new home at Rutland Showground
Organisers of Rutland's new-look birdfair were delighted with the inaugural event at Rutland Showground.
Tim Appleton, who founded the original British Birdwatching Fair in 1989, staged the three-day festival between Friday and Sunday last week after the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust pulled its support for the long-running event at Rutland Water.
Exhibitors travelled from across the globe to take part in the event, with 10,000 visitors joining in across the weekend.
A talk on the discovery of Rutland's sea dragon proved to be particularly popular.
Tim said: "We had a brilliant weekend. The weather was great and the new location was excellent.
"I'd like to thank all the volunteers who helped us to set up and run the event. We had an incredible team and their spirit was remarkable."
Proceeds from the fair are still being counted, but they will go towards a habitat restoration project in Spain.
The region of La Janda falls on a migratory route between the UK and Africa, but its lake needs to be restored.
It is hoped the Global Birdfair will return to Rutland Showground next summer.
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