Betchworth grid turned into a wildlife haven
Power workers are helping to turn the grounds around an electricity grid into a wildlife haven in Betchworth, Surrey.
Fourteen staff from UK Power Networks’ finance team have begun transforming a site with limited wildlife potential into an area where insects, flowers and mammals can thrive in the future.
UK Power Networks is striving to increase the biodiversity of 100 electricity sites across the South East, London and East of England, helped by staff during regional volunteer days.
Acting on an ecologist’s recommendations, the team cut back an overgrown hedge to let in sunlight, to encourage plants and flowers to grow, and made a wildlife corridor out of hedge cuttings where mammals, reptiles and invertebrates can shelter. They also sowed native plant and flower seeds, built and installed new bird boxes in woodland and collected several bags of litter including dumped plastics, cans and glass.
Joanna Collison, who helped to organise the event for her colleagues in the finance team at UK Power Networks, said: “We enjoyed working together and helping the local environment. Everyone is worried about what is going on in the environment and climate change.
“If we all do a little bit to support our local environment, it makes a difference. It would be nice to return here in the future to see the difference we’ve made and carry out further work.”
Ecologist James Simpson, a director a Saxifrage Environmental Ltd, who supported the ecological recommendations, said: “Helping to support the local wildlife at this site by engaging in conservation is so important at a time when many of our native species are in decline.
“It’s great to see the results of this UK Power Networks’ volunteering day, delivering on our recommendations to provide opportunities for wildlife to thrive. We look forward to seeing how the ecology on this site develops over the forthcoming years.”
Sites like the one in Betchworth play an essential role in delivering reliable electricity supplies to smaller substations, then local homes and businesses.
Fourteen staff from UK Power Networks’ finance team have begun transforming a site with limited wildlife potential into an area where insects, flowers and mammals can thrive in the future.
UK Power Networks is striving to increase the biodiversity of 100 electricity sites across the South East, London and East of England, helped by staff during regional volunteer days.
Acting on an ecologist’s recommendations, the team cut back an overgrown hedge to let in sunlight, to encourage plants and flowers to grow, and made a wildlife corridor out of hedge cuttings where mammals, reptiles and invertebrates can shelter. They also sowed native plant and flower seeds, built and installed new bird boxes in woodland and collected several bags of litter including dumped plastics, cans and glass.
Joanna Collison, who helped to organise the event for her colleagues in the finance team at UK Power Networks, said: “We enjoyed working together and helping the local environment. Everyone is worried about what is going on in the environment and climate change.
“If we all do a little bit to support our local environment, it makes a difference. It would be nice to return here in the future to see the difference we’ve made and carry out further work.”
Ecologist James Simpson, a director a Saxifrage Environmental Ltd, who supported the ecological recommendations, said: “Helping to support the local wildlife at this site by engaging in conservation is so important at a time when many of our native species are in decline.
“It’s great to see the results of this UK Power Networks’ volunteering day, delivering on our recommendations to provide opportunities for wildlife to thrive. We look forward to seeing how the ecology on this site develops over the forthcoming years.”
Sites like the one in Betchworth play an essential role in delivering reliable electricity supplies to smaller substations, then local homes and businesses.