Over the last 20 years, the landscape at Panshanger Park has been restored to agriculture, woodland, grassland and wetland, and now as quarrying operations come to an end, a large part of the estate is being opened to the public as a country park and nature reserve.

Lesley Davies, Chief Executive of Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, said: “We are delighted that the excellent restoration of Panshanger Park has been recognised with the prestigious Cooper-Heyman Cup. The Trust has worked closely together with Tarmac and Herts County Council to develop Panshanger into the haven it is today, both for people and wildlife.”

“We would like to extend our thanks to Tarmac as well as to all the dedicated staff and volunteers at the Trust who have contributed to the successful restoration of the park, from the Forest School to the many events at the park and important biological surveying. We look forward to continuing our work in this area and seeing Panshanger flourish.”

Michael Charlton, Restoration Manager at Panshanger Park said: “We’re so delighted to have won such a prestigious prize, testament to the hard work of the Tarmac team and our partners over many years. We are very proud of the carefully planned restoration that has protected and enhanced the ecology and landscape features which make the park so special. The success is shown not only by the beautiful landscape you see at the park today, but also by the wide and diverse range of fauna and flora that is thriving there, a reflection of the high quality habitats that have been created and allowed to establish.”

Overall it was a hugely successful afternoon for Tarmac. In addition to winning the Cooper-Heyman Cup, the company was also runner up in the restoration category for its site at Cloddach, near Elgin as well as picking up another two awards, one runner up prize and five commendations.

Martin Riley, Senior Vice President at Tarmac and MPA Chairman said: “I’m immensely proud of the work we and our partners do to manage biodiversity and deliver careful restoration across our quarries. The wins for Panshanger and Cloddach are thoroughly deserved, and testament to the dedication and hard work of all involved at the site, as well as our partner organisations such as the Wildlife Trusts. Congratulations go to all of the entrants.”

The MPA’s Restoration & Biodiversity Awards is an important event that celebrates achievement through partnerships, charts the way forward and shares best practice, exploring the contribution the mineral products industry will continue to make to biodiversity and nature conservation.