THE Eden Project has published a landmark Impact Report revealing that the educational charitable trust has delivered £6.8-billion in total economic impact to the South West.

The report has been released on St Piran’s Day ahead of Eden’s 25th birthday on Monday, March 17, to reflect Eden’s roots in the county and its story of transformation from a former clay mine with no soil or plants, into a global environmental showcase.

In 25 years, the charity Eden Project has welcomed more than 25 million visitors to its Rainforest and Mediterranean Biomes generating £8.4-billion in visitor spend and supporting an average of 700 jobs each year.

The report also reveals that the trust had delivered £5.7-billion net additional economic impact to Cornwall since opening in 2001.

The Eden Project was co-founded by Sir Tim Smit and architect Jonathan Ball as an educational charity with a mission that extends far beyond horticulture.

Sir Tim and Andy Jasper, CEO of the Eden Project, delivered the Impact Report to Westminster alongside Noah Law, Labour MP for St Austell and Newquay.

Jasper said: “A quarter of a century since opening with a bold mission and hope for the future, Eden has helped reshape Cornwall’s economy, drawing millions of visitors, supporting hundreds of jobs and creating opportunities that simply did not exist twenty-five years ago.

“There could be no better moment than St Piran’s Day, a symbol of Cornwall’s identity, resilience and creativity, to celebrate Eden’s journey.

“The Impact Report is proof of the difference Eden makes on our doorstep in Cornwall and in far-reaching corners of the globe, and demonstrates that investing in nature, culture and education is not a luxury – it is a blueprint for economic growth.”

The Millennium Commission helped bring the Eden Project to life with £56-million in National Lottery funding. Twenty-five years on, Eden stands as one of the Commission’s most successful legacy projects.

Baroness Floella Benjamin, OM DBE, who served on the Millennium Commission, said: “I was privileged to be a committee member of the Millennium Commission as we funded national projects that would last the test of time.

“One of those was the Eden Project, as the visionary Tim Smit convinced us of the value it would preserve for future generations. He was right as 25 years later the Eden Project has turned out to be one of the most successful projects we funded.

“Its lasting legacy keeps on proving that it was National Lottery player’s money well spent as it has continued to inspire, educate and involve those globally who want to make a difference, protect our fractured world and change it for the better.”

The ‘Eden Effect’ is also having an impact around the world. In Costa Rica, Eden is restoring a dry tropical rainforest biological corridor, while there are also Eden Project sites in Expo City, Dubai and Qingdao, China.

With Eden Project Morecambe in development and Eden Project Scotland in design, the newly released Impact Report also signals what the ‘Eden Effect’ could mean for other parts of the country.