ORIGINAL plans for a boathouse at a youth charity have been implemented – 123 years after they were first drawn up.

The new innovative facility at Avon Tyrrell in Bransgore, near Christchurch, will be officially opened by Lord Manners, who still owns the estate and donated it to the charity in 1949.

It is hoped the eco-friendly building will boost visitor numbers to the site, which provides a range of outdoor and environmental activities.

The building is the first of its kind in Hampshire and was borne from plans to have a boathouse on the lake when Avon Tyrrell was first built in 1891.

The new boathouse will provide better facilities for disabled users and a storehouse for boats and equipment used by the charity, UK Youth, who run the site.

There are also better shower and changing facilities in the timber-clad building, which has a roof housing solar panels.

The boathouse will convert enough solar energy to heat 6,000 litres of water a day for the facility’s shower block and return electricity to the mains grid system.

And it is hoped that a new partnership with Sembcorp Bournemouth Water will result in the company becoming a corporate sponsor of UK Youth.

Fundraising director at UK Youth, Louis Bonney, said: “We have more than 22,000 children and young people visiting Avon Tyrrell every year.

“Part of the motivation for choosing such sustainable technology is that we will not only have an eco-friendly environment for our guests to enjoy but we can also help educate younger generations in the value of renewable energy and sustainable construction.

“As a youth charity we are dedicated to preserving the very environment that provides so much for us and our visitors.”

Other supporters include New Forest National Park, Sembcorp Bournemouth Water, Sport England, B&Q and the Garfield Weston Foundation who have helped contribute to the boathouse project.