A REDUNDANT Curdridge nursing home has been recycled into an eco-friendly office complex.

Staff at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust have moved into Beechcroft House.

Work was completed yesterday on the offices, in Vicarage Lane, that will boast some of the greenest facilities in the country.

Heating will be provided by a specially-imported wood burner, which sits in the yard at the back of the offices and is one of only three of its kind in Britain.

Even the rainwater from the roof of the building is recycled for toilet flushing.

The grounds are being turned into a wildlife garden complete with pond and a feature of the complex will be a drop-in centre where visitors can ask questions about wildlife.

Director Rob Stoneman believes the move is in keeping with the trust's roles and aims.

He said: "The idea is that we will be self-sustaining when it comes to fuel for the heating system. Eventually, we will be filling it with wood removed from our reserves so we don't have to buy more fuel.

"What's more important is that it makes the system effectively carbon neutral as any carbon dioxide released by the burning process will be reabsorbed by the trees we have trimmed or the plants that have replaced felled trees."

The offices will be officially opened by Hampshire naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham at a public open day on Saturday, September 25.

The trust is the leading wildlife charity in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, responsible for 61 wildlife reserves and more than 6,696 acres of wildlife habitat.

Their previous home was in Woodside Avenue, Eastleigh.

For more details visit www.hwt.org.uk