The £1.2million Naze Visitor Centre will officially be opened by broadcaster Nicholas Crane next Saturday.

The centre, by the historic Naze Tower, provides information and facilities to tower visitors as well as act as a hub for hosting Essex Wildlife Trust events and education.

The 2pm opening on September 10 will feature speeches from Mr Crane, trust CEO Andrew Impey and Neil Stock, leader of Tendring District Council.

Afterwards, the trust will run guided walks in the area.

Mr Crane, star of BBC’s Coast programme, was previously at the Naze in 2011 to open the nearby Crag Walk coastal defence and educational and access platform at the base of the Naze cliffs.

The Naze is included in the curriculum for GCSEs and A-Levels, as a case study for wildlife, fossils, geology, coastal processes, coastal communities and more.

The £1.2 million centre received £1.15million of funding from the government’s Coastal Communities Fund. It also enjoys extra support from partners Tendring Council and the Naze management board.

Trust CEO Andrew Iimpey branded the Naze Centre as a “centre of excellence for education and conservation.”

Tendring Council leader Neil Stock called it “a fantastic addition to the visitor offer at the Naze.”