Raymond Brown Quarry Products Ltd have joined the Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Raymond Brown Quarry Products is dedicated to the protection of the natural environment and improvement of biodiversity through quarrying operations.  Through this partnership, the business will be working with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to introduce nectar-rich plants to its quarries and restoration sites.

“Having become aware of the collapsing bumblebee populations following a talk by one of our colleagues, our Environmental Committee became concerned and wanted to learn more” commented Nick Hardacre, Technical and Environmental Manager.  “When it then became clear that both Brickworth Quarry and Binnegar Quarry overlapped with a range of some endangered species of bees, we simply had to act.  We joined the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to benefit from their expertise and learn about constructing habitats and integrating pollinator friendly flowers where possible.  We hope to do all we can to create a haven for bees across our sites and aid in the bees recovery across the country.”

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is a national conservation charity, established in 2006 by two academics whose research had uncovered serious concerns about bumblebee sustainability and survival.  In the last 80 years, bumblebee populations have been decimated and two native species have become extinct, with a further eight of our 24 species are endangered.  The Trust has a vision to create a world where bumblebees are thriving and valued.

The Trust bases its policies and practical conservation work through constant evaluation of scientific research and best practice, their current activities have included creating and restoring wildflower habitats in the areas where rare bumblebees need it most, landscape-scale conservation projects around the UK and giving land managers, farmers and local communities practical advice on enhancing biodiversity for the benefit of bumblebees and other wild pollinators.

“Minerals sites offer excellent opportunities to provide habitat and forage for many of the twenty four species of bumblebee in the UK”  says Tessa Brooks of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.  “Bumblebees are hard-working and versatile pollinators of many food crops and wildflower species but have been declining due to the widespread loss of wildflower grasslands and changes in agricultural practices.  In the last 80 years our bumblebee populations have crashed; two species have become nationally extinct and several others have declined dramatically.  So we are thrilled with the enthusiasm and commitment of Raymond Brown Quarry Products Ltd to their restoration and land management activities to increase biodiversity and wildlife, and through their Membership, providing funds to support the Trust’s conservation and educational activities.”