Business gets behind UK's wildlife

01 Mar 2010 | No. 2010-03-09

Despite the difficult time experienced by the UK’s businesses over the past year, many are still committed to helping wildlife. Over 50 business sites have come together to demonstrate their benefit for biodiversity by taking part in the British Trust for Ornithology – EDF Energy Business Bird Challenge 2010.

 
Tarmac Quarry - Langford Reed Bed

The Business Bird Challenge is a competition, run by the BTO, to find thebest business sites for birds, conservation and community involvement in the natural environment. This fiercely contested competition has attracted a wide variety of company sites; people who are already experts in conservation management, but are keen to vie with others in their sectors for recognition in looking after the top business sites for birds and conservation in the UK.

Kate Aldridge (BTO Challenge Organiser) commented, “The companies entering Challenge 2010 really are exhibiting an outstanding commitment to conserving the UK’s wildlife - a commitment that so often goes unrecognised by the general public. The Business Bird Challenge is an opportunity for us to see the diversity of birds and wildlife using business sites and for them to push their commitment just a bit further, through competition with other companies”

Christine Blythe (EDF Energy Biodiversity Manager (Properties Division)), “Sustainability is at the heart of the way we do business and the Challenge provides us with the opportunity to reaffirm and celebrate our commitment to biodiversity in this, the International Year of Biodiversity.”

The 2010 Challenge has attracted a wide range of companies, with over 50 sites from the aggregate, water, waste, power, industrial, agricultural, and other commercial sectors. Through the year, these sites will be sending the BTO details of the conservation work they are carrying out, how they are involving their staff, the local community, and schools in caring for wildlife, and recording the different species of bird that are using the various habitats the site provides.

There is still time for companies to enrol; the BTO will be accepting entries until the end of March.

Kate Aldridge added "The companies that have taken up the ‘Challenge’ are leaders in conservation on industrial landholding, but we know that many other companies take their responsibility to nature conservation extremely seriously. We would like to invite them to join the competition to find out which business sites in the UK are the best of the best for our wildlife.”

 Notes for Editors

  1. Sites entering the BTO – EDF Energy Business Bird Challenge 2010 so far
1
British Energy part of EDF Energy
Hartlepool Power Station, Cleveland
2
British Energy part of EDF Energy
Torness Power Station, East Lothian
3
British Energy part of EDF Energy
Dungeness B Power Station, Kent
4
British Energy part of EDF Energy
Hinkley Point B Power Station, Somerset
5
British Energy part of EDF Energy
Heysham Power Stations, Lancashire
6
British Energy part of EDF Energy
Sizewell B Power Station, Suffolk
7
Syngenta
Jealotts Hill International Research Centre, Berkshire
8
Huntsman Pigments
Greatham Works, Cleveland
9
Lafarge Cement
Dunbar Quarry, East Lothian
10
Sabic (UK) Petrochemicals Ltd
Brinefields and Cavities, North Tees Works, Cleveland
11
Lafarge Cement
Eastgate Quarry, County Durham
12
Anglian Water
Rutland Water, Rutland
13
Anglian Water
Grafham Water, Cambridgeshire
14
Anglian Water
Pitsford Water, Northamptonshire
15
Anglian Water
Alton Water, Suffolk
16
Anglian Water
Dunstable STW, Bedfordshire
17
Hanson Aggregates
Forcett Quarry, North Yorkshire
18
Hanson Aggregates
Ripon Quarry, North Yorkshire
19
Lafarge Aggregates
Whisby Quarry, Lincolnshire
20
Lafarge Aggregates
Marfield Quarry, North Yorkshire
21
Lafarge Aggregates
Dry Rigg Quarry, North Yorkshire
22
Northumbrian Water
Birtley Sewage Treatment Works, Northumberland
23
Northumbrian Water
Scaling Dam, North Yorkshire
24
Tendley Quarries Ltd
Tendley Quarry, Cumbria
25
Lafarge Aggregates
Besthorpe Quarry, Nottinghamshire
26
Southern Water
Testwood Lakes, Hampshire
27
EDF Energy
Cottam Power Station, Nottinghamshire
28
Magnox North
Oldbury Power Station, Gloucestershire
29
Tarmac
Lound Quarry, Nottinghamshire
30
Tarmac
Langford Quarry, Nottinghamshire
31
Tarmac
Arcow Quarry, North Yorkshire
32
Tarmac
Borras Quarry, Clywd
33
Tarmac
Croxden Quarry, Staffordshire
34
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water/UUOS
Llandegfedd Reservoir, Gwent
35
P N Watts
Vine House Farm, Lincolnshire
36
Blashford Lakes Partnership
Blashford Lakes Wildlife Reserve, Hampshire
37
Yorkshire Water
Tophill Low Nature Reserve, East Yorkshire
38
Hanson Aggregates
Horton Quarry, North Yorkshire
39
Essex & Suffolk Water
Hanningfield Reservoir, Essex
40
Essex & Suffolk Water
Abberton Reservoir, Essex
41
Essex & Suffolk Water
Lound Water, Water Treatment Works, Suffolk
42
Hanson Building Products
Kings Dyke Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire
43
Aggregate Industries
Lee Moor Quarry, Devon
44
East Midland Dev Agency
The Avenue, Derbyshire
45
Aggregate Industries
Arnhall Quarry, Angus
46
Lafarge Aggregates
Woolhampton Quarry, Berkshire
47
Bardon Aggregates
Little Paxton Quarry, Cambridgeshire
48
Tarmac
Lower Farm Quarry, Berkshire
49
Pollybell Farms Ltd
Holmes Farm, Nottinghamshire
50
Thames Water Utilities
Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire
51
Hanson Aggregates
Cassington Quarry, Oxfordshire
52
 Thames Water Utilities
 Kempton Water Treatment, Middlesex
53
 Lafarge Aggregates
 Panshanger Quarry, Hertfordshire
54
 Aggregate Industries
 Cleveland Farm, Wiltshire
 
  1. The Business Bird Challenge began in 1994 and is a unique partnership between businesses, the BTO and local communities, which encourages biodiversity on business and industrial sites. Held every two years, the Challenge has become a celebration of environmental initiatives by businesses throughout the UK, in the categories of Conservation, Community and Birds.
  2. The BTO is the UK’s leading bird research organisation. Over thirty thousand birdwatchers contribute to the BTO’s surveys. They collect information that forms the basis of conservation action in the UK. The BTO maintains a staff of 100 at its offices in Norfolk and Stirling, who analyse and publicise the results of project work. The BTO’s investigations are funded by supporters, government, industry and conservation organisations.
  3. The combination of EDF Energy and British Energy forms one of the UK’s largest energy companies. The new EDF Energy is the UK’s largest producer of electricity and the largest generator of low carbon electricity in Britain. Through Our Climate and Social Commitments we have launched the biggest environmental and social packages of any UK energy company.

    It produces around one-fifth of the nation's electricity from our nuclear, coal and gas power stations, as well as combined heat and power plants and wind farms. We provide power to a quarter of the UK’s population via our electricity distribution networks and supply gas and electricity to over 5.5 million business and residential customer accounts.

Contact information
 

Kate Aldridge (Challenge Organiser)
Office: 01842 750050 (9am to 5.30pm)
Email: challenge [at] bto.org

Paul Stancliffe (BTO Press Officer)
Office: 01842 750050 (9am to 5.30pm)
Mobile: 07845 900559 (anytime)
Email: press [at] bto.org

Martin Butlin (EDF Energy)
Office: 01524 863565

Images are available for use alongside this News Release
Please contactimages [at] bto.org quoting reference 2010-03-09

The BTO has an ISDN line available for radio interviews
Please contact us to book an interview
Office: 01842 750050


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