A CHARITY has opened an activities centre named after a 16-year-old wildlife lover who died in a skiing accident.

A formerly derelict house in the New Forest National Park has been restored and transformed into a base for teenagers and young adults with limited access to nature.

Cameron’s Cottage occupies part of the RSPB Franchises Lodge nature near Normansland.

It is named after Cameron Bespolka, of Winchester, who was on a trip to Austria in 2013 when he died a few days before Christmas.

The Cameron Bespolka Trust raised £450,000 towards the cost of renovating the property. Organisations that supported the project included the National Park Authority, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Friends of the New Forest and the Garfield Weston Foundation.

Cameron's Cottage provides young people living in urban areas with affordable access to a wildlife-rich area.

Corinne Bespolka, Cameron's mother and founder of the Trust, said: "As a family, we always tried to spend time in nature and appreciated how special and important this was.

"Cameron loved animals and wildlife and as he grew older bird watching became his passion.

"He stayed in a cottage similar to this and it meant the world to him. He loved being surrounded by wildlife morning noon and night.

"Now that Cameron’s Cottage is open we'll be providing funding to ensure that young people from all walks of life will be able to stay.”

RSPB spokesperson Beth Markey added: "Cameron’s Cottage is completely off-grid with heating and electricity provided by solar power - it really is the ultimate nature experience.

"We’ve already been lucky enough to welcome several groups to Cameron’s Cottage, all of whom have been involved in exciting conservation work.

“Research shows that teenagers and young adults are more disconnected from nature than any other age group and we believe that by tackling barriers that prevent access to nature, we can encourage more people to take an interest in the natural world and change lives.”

Recent visitors to Cameron's Cottage have included Salisbury MP John Glen, who described it as a "fantastic scheme".