The Eden Project has said goodbye to a driving force behind their new Morecambe attraction while also welcoming a new face.
Si Bellamy OBE has left the charity after eight years, during which time he was the front man for the planned £100m Eden Project Morecambe.
Mr Bellamy, who was chief transformation officer at Eden, was thanked for his work on the scheme at a public meeting in Morecambe on Monday evening.
Andy Jasper, CEO at Eden Project, told the audience at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium that Mr Bellamy was "moving off from this project onto other things" after he had "lived and breathed" the scheme.
"I'm personally and professional so grateful for where we are with the project, so Si Bellamy, thank you very much," said Mr Jasper.
Mr Bellamy, who also attended the 'Community Conversation' event, said: "Getting this project to where it is has been a huge team effort.
"From a personal level, when you look out at the Bay and see the wonderful view, what you see behind you is an incredible community that lives and breathes a better future for Morecambe.
"Morecambe, you've left a deep and really powerful image on me of what a good community looks like, and I can't thank you enough."
Cornwall-based Mr Bellamy has been the main spokesperson for the plans in Morecambe, since the scheme was first announced in 2018.
He has spoken about and advocated for the new attraction at many events locally and further afield.
Meanwhile John Pye, the new project director, made his first appearance at an Eden 'Community Conversation' in Morecambe since his recent appointment.
Mr Pye said he was "so proud to be here" and that "having the opportunity to represent Eden in Morecambe is just wonderful".
He said he would be based at Morecambe Town Hall and that people were welcome to come along and chat to him about the project.
Mr Pye's appointment was announced in March and he has been described as "employee number one" at the Morecambe attraction.
The Eden Project said his role will be to work with a "multi-disciplinary team overseeing construction, horticulture, and visitor experience while aligning with the Eden Project’s vision of public benefit and sustainability".
Previously, Mr Pye, who went to Ripley school in Lancaster, was Head of Estates North at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) where he led the development of RHS Garden Bridgewater transforming a 156-acre heritage landscape into the iconic RHS Garden in Greater Manchester.
Eden Project Morecambe is due to open in late 2028 on the central Promenade, with work due to start on-site in 2026, and is expected to pull up to 700,000 visitors a year to the town.
Below, a new CGI image, released this week, of what the Eden Project Morecambe will look like.
Mr Jasper said after the meeting: "Si Bellamy was an integral part of Eden Project Morecambe for eight years.
"We are so grateful for the way Si led the project, which would not be in the great position that it is without his sound leadership.
"He now hands over the baton to Eden Project Morecambe’s first official employee, project director John Pye, who will lead the delivery of Eden Project Morecambe, alongside our brilliant partners and with a team of world-class contractors."
The Eden Project is an educational charity, with a famous attraction themed on the natural world based in Cornwall.
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