The café and shop will have its final day of trading on February 2 – after which it will shut permanently.
The top half of the reserve’s visitor centre will also be closed temporarily in February while the area is “reconfigured”, according to a Facebook post from RSPB Rainham Marshes.
It comes after the nature charity announced sweeping cuts across its reserves in an attempt to make “annual savings of £12 million”.
For Rainham Marshes, this meant the loss of its café, shop, and education programme in its current format.
The future of its visitor centre also remains in doubt beyond the next 12 months, as the RSPB said it will explore its “future management” and “how it operates” during that time period.
READ MORE: RSPB Rainham Marshes WILL lose shop, cafe and education programme
A spokesperson for the RSPB said: “We would like to express our wholehearted thanks to our café and retail staff and volunteers, past and present, and everyone who has visited our café and shop over the years.”
The charity added that the reserve trails and the toilets will be open as normal in February, but the entry will temporarily be via the side of the building through the garden gate.
The current welcome area will be moved to the downstairs classroom while the top half of the visitor centre is closed.
Last week, Romford MP Andrew Rosindell asked the government what support it will be providing to Rainham Marshes in light of the cuts.
He told the Recorder that he was “very concerned” about the closures, and will “continue to work with the RSPB going forward to safeguard the future of this important site”.
