Former Hanson quarry wins prize in biodiversity contest
Published by Lucy Stewardson,
Editorial Assistant
World Cement,
Located in Farnham, Surrey, a former Hanson quarry has been named as an international winner of the Quarry Life Awards 2018. The Tice’s Meadow Nature Reserve was formerly a Hanson sand and gravel quarry.
Submitted by the Tice’s Meadow Bird Group, the Biodiversity Trail project won the ‘connecting quarries and communities’ category, claiming a €10 000 prize. The project won the award for creating a 1.5 mile long, fully-accessible, self-guided circular walk around the nature reserve to enhance and promote biodiversity to visitors.
The project also won second prize, and £2200, in the UK community section of the awards. It was recognised as one of the top seven international performers out of the 100 project groups from 25 countries that entered.
The Quarry Life Award is a biannual competition, currently in its fourth year. It is organised by Hanson’s parent company, HeidelbergCement Group. It aims to raise understanding of the biological value of quarry sites both during and after extraction.
“The Tice’s Meadow biodiversity trail makes it possible for anyone to learn about nature and get closer to wildlife while going for a walk around one of our former quarries,” said Martin Crow, National Sustainability Manager at Hanson UK. “It hosts an abundance of habitats and is considered to be one of the best inland sites to watch birds in Southeast England. It is testament to what quarry restoration can achieve in terms of connecting with local communities, as well as educating and raising awareness about wildlife and ecology.”
“We are both delighted and excited that our community project has been regarded so highly at this international conservation competition,” said Richard Horton, Chairman of the Tice’s Meadow Bird Group. “It has inspired us to do more and the prize money will go some way towards our next ambition – to build a purpose made bank for sand martins to nest in within the reserve.”
Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/31122018/former-hanson-quarry-wins-prize-in-biodiversity-contest/
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