THE Wildfowl and Wetland Trust is to open a bird watching facility in honour of Paddy Fleming, a keen ornithologist and conservationist from Richmond who died in January, aged 59.
Mr Fleming's widow, Doreen, will officially open Paddy's Hide at 11am on Sunday at the trust's centre at Washington, Tyne and Wear.
It overlooks Wader Lake, and will allow visitors to observe the resident population of grey herons, winter visitors such as European teal and curlew and the summer colony of common terns.
Centre manager Chris Francis said: "We are extremely grateful to the family and friends of Paddy Fleming for raising the funds needed to carry out this work.
"Wader Lake is a wonderful habitat for lots of different birds and the new hide further improves our bird watching experience. I am sure Paddy's friends and family will see it as a fitting memorial."
Mr Fleming's love of nature led him to form a conservation group known as the Ragged Robin Wildlife Group. Under his leadership, it regularly visited bird reserves, went for hikes and nature walks and undertook conservation work for the Yorkshire Dales National Park and other similar bodies
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