MPA Cooper-Heyman Cup

In 2011, we were recognised as an industry leader for restoring natural habitats and halting biodiversity decline. Our Bellmoor and Lound Estate in Nottinghamshire was awarded the prestigious Mineral Products Association's Cooper-Heyman Cup for restoring 600 hectares of land to farmland and woodland. As the quarry has been in continual use since the 1940s, winning this top prize is a significant achievement.

Designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1992, this area is the focus for our long-standing restoration partnership with the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. High-quality restoration work has created a wildlife haven, widely enjoyed by the local community. Our achievements at the site include the lottery-funded Idle Valley Rural Learning Centre, operated by North Nottinghamshire College, where the Wildlife Trust runs many interactive community programmes.

Another valued part of the site restored in the early 1990s, the 70-acre Linghurst Lakes parish park at Lound, is flourishing. We planted thousands of trees, wildflowers and grass paths, which are popular with villagers and managed by a sub-committee of Lound Parish Council.

At the same event, Woodbridge quarry in Northumberland was highly commended in the inaugural Natural England Biodiversity Awards. We transformed the former quarry into a flourishing wildlife haven, creating 12 hectares of lowland meadow and permanent and ephemeral wetland. This was a joint project with our restoration partners Northumberland County Council and Northumberland Wildlife Trust.