A DISUSED quarry near Malvern is set to be transformed into a major educational and research centre, thanks to a £123,000 geodiversity project.

Whitmans Hill quarry in Storridge has a rich rock and fossil history. The place was once part of the seabed of a tropical lagoon and the limestone that formed was mined up until 1990.

Now, the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Earth Heri-tage Trust, based at University College Worcester, is set to bring the area's 400 million years of history back to life by turning it into an educational centre for students and visitors.

A main aim of the trust is to secure sites of geological interest for future generations, with English Nature contributing £94,000 towards this latest project.

Over the next 10 years the trust is set to create fossil collecting areas, viewing platforms and trail guides for the quarry.

There will be also be interpretation panels dealing with the geology and wildlife of the site, its quarrying history and how the landscape can now be conserved.

The local community will be asked for their memories of the quarry, to create a film portraying its mining history. Trust director Dr Peter Oliver said he had received lots of positive feedback from the community and believes the project will help develop public awareness and understanding of natural sciences.

He added: "This project will secure the long-term use of this site for educational and research purposes and establish a programme of events for local people, families and schools.

"We'll be working closely with the people of Storridge, and the Cradley Heritage Centre, who'll be helping us to host a number of community workshops, exhibitions, meetings and lectures."

UCW principal Professor David Green said the college was proud to support the trust's project.

"Their popular rock and fossil roadshows inspire children, and creating a living museum from a disused quarry is yet another outstanding and imaginative project, which will no doubt inspire future generations."