Celebrating a 25-year partnership

02 May, 2023

L-R: Paul Hazel and Matthew Millett from Cotswold Lakes Trust with Peter Andrew from The Hills Group in a go-kart at Cotswold Country Park & Beach in the Cotswold Water Park

The Hills Group and Cotswold Lakes Trust mark 25 years of working together in the Cotswold Water Park

CELEBRATING a 25-year partnership that has helped protect kingfishers, otters, water voles and many more species, The Hills Group and Cotswold Lakes Trust have affirmed their commitment to build on their achievements in the Cotswold Water Park.

By working together on everything from the restoration and creation of reed beds to fossil hunts and footpaths, the two organizations have already helped create one of the most stunning wetland landscapes in the UK, providing an exceptional leisure amenity and a haven for wildlife.

Peter Andrew, group director of Hills Quarry Products, said: ‘The Hills Group have been operating in the Cotswold Water Park for more than 100 years and have created many of the lakes and wonderful habitats you see today. We are proud to support Cotswold Lakes Trust and all they do for wildlife and the environment. They’re a great charity and we work together extremely well.’

The Cotswold Water Park is a network of more than 180 lakes across 42 square miles which emerged from decades of intensive gravel extraction and restoration. Straddling the Wiltshire-Gloucestershire border, it is now a unique wetland landscape.

The lakes are home to a huge variety of wildlife and a host of leisure activities for their 20,000 residents and 1 million annual visitors. In 2021, the water park was recognized nationally as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Praising Hills for the pivotal role they have played in creating the Cotswold Water Park since their first gravel pit was dug a century ago, Cotswold Lakes Trust’s executive chairman, Paul Hazel, said: ‘Their long-term commitment to restoration has played a fundamental role in creating this fantastic leisure area and haven for wildlife.

‘Hills’ generosity in providing more than £1.3 million through the Landfill Communities Fund has enabled the Trust to help preserve the amazing biodiversity of habitats and species in the Cotswold Water Park and to carry out projects ranging from the creation of nature reserves to improving public access and managing country parks.’