Exploris to re-open in August

A date for the re-opening of the Exploris Aquarium in Portaferry has at last been given.

The attraction, which closed almost two years ago, will open its doors to the public again on August 15.

Exploris has been a council-run facility since it opened in 1987. In September 2013, the previous Ards Borough Council had voted to give the aquarium two months to find a funding source or face being sold off. A number of councillors argued that at £600,000 a year to run, the aquarium was too expensive for ratepayers to sustain.

Then, in late 2014, the aquarium was closed to the public as the council moved to secure funding for a refurbishment from Stormont.

That decision sparked an outcry among supporters of Exploris, who feared that the attraction would not open again. They staged protests outside council meetings and gathered petitions to keep the facility open.

But a total of £914,000 was eventually secured from the Department of the Environment and the rest of the £1.5m package was secured from the council and the new operator Crumlin Road Gaol Ltd (CRG).

So following refurbishment, Portaferry’s much-loved aquarium and seal sanctuary will open its doors again this August 15.