Connecting nature and communities in the Trent Valley

We are delighted to be part of a fantastic project, led by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, to restore the natural heritage of the Trent Valley.

Transforming the Trent Valley is a five-year partnership project involving 18 organisations, which aims to reconnect local people with waterways and wetlands in the area and increase their appreciation for local heritage and the future of the landscape.

The project complements our ongoing conservation and restoration work at Barton quarry, near Burton-upon-Trent, which involves creating a large area of wetlands within floodplain woodland. Recently we have been helping with the repurposing of WWII pillboxes at the site to create secure new habitats for bats and birds while also helping to protect the monuments for the future.

Our team at Barton quarry also helped to reinforce riverbanks on the River Trent by managing and planting willow trees following erosion caused by flooding. Future work at the site will see the creation of a footpath along the side of the quarry which will form part of the Trent Valley Way, a way-marked walking route, which aims to connect nature and communities. 

“A large part of the work we do at Barton is centred around restoration, biodiversity and conversation,” said David Southgate, Principal Landscape Architect for Heidelberg Materials.

“We are proud to be an active partner in this important project to restore the natural heritage of the Trent Valley in Staffordshire and Derbyshire.”