Tice’s Meadow wins international prize in biodiversity contest

Former Hanson sand and gravel quarry picks up €10,000 prize in Quarry Life Award 2018

TICE’s Meadow Nature Reserve in Farnham, Surrey, formerly a Hanson UK sand and gravel quarry, has been named as an international winner in the Quarry Life Award 2018.

The Biodiversity Trail project, submitted by the Tice’s Meadow Bird Group, won the Connecting Quarries and Communities category and claimed the €10,000 (more than £9,000) prize. The project has created a 1.5 mile-long, fully accessible, self-guided circular walk around the nature reserve to enhance and promote biodiversity to visitors.

The scheme, which also won second prize and an award of £2,200 in the UK community section of the competition, was recognized as one of the top seven international performers out of 100 project groups that entered from 25 countries.

Now in its fourth edition, the biennial Quarry Life Award competition – organized by Hanson’s parent company, HeidelbergCement Group – aims to raise the 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, who attended the awards ceremony in Brussels.

‘It hosts an abundance of habitats and is considered to be one of the best inland sites to watch birds in south-east 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.’

Tice’s Meadow Bird Group chairman, Richard Horton, said: ‘We’re both excited and delighted that our community project has been regarded so highly at this international conservation competition. 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.’

More information and a full list of national and international winners can be found on the Quarry Life Award website: www.quarrylifeaward.com