ENVIRONMENT

Messingham Restoration

In March 2004, WBB MINERALS UK (in partnership with Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust) received a prestigious award from the Quarry Products Association for the restoration of a former extraction site at Messingham. Stretching over 50 hectares and embracing a diverse range of habitat, the Messingham reserve today boasts over 1,800 recorded species of flora and fauna making it one of the most important wildlife areas in Lincolnshire. In fact the site has been officially designated as a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) by English Nature.

The reserve is able to support such a large range of species because of the diversity of habitat created within its boundaries. This includes grassland, heathland, woodland, marsh, lakes, dykes and reed beds, not forgetting the bare sand areas themselves which have played a part in attracting up to 120 different species of bee and wasp.

The Award for Messingham, which falls into the Biodiversity and Geodiversity categories, was presented at the QPA Showcase 2004 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, hosted by environmental broadcaster John Craven.