Heysham scores green accolade

Heysham Nature Reserve has been awarded the Wildlife Trusts’ Biodiversity Benchmark.

Following a rigorous series of audits, the award was presented to EDF Energy in recognition of its work in protecting and enhancing the special and diverse wildlife which thrives alongside the two nuclear power stations.

Heysham Nature Reserve, which is managed in partnership with the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside, is also a popular local site for walking, bird watching and educational events.

Alan Oulton, station director at Heysham 2, said: “We are delighted to get this award. It recognises the strong partnership we have established with the local Wildlife Trust and volunteers over many years which plays a crucial role in protecting and promoting the wildlife at Heysham.”

The award comes a few months before Heysham power station’ new visitor centre opens, and there are plans to tie in visits to the stations and the reserve.

Anne Selby, chief executive of The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside, said: “The site demonstrates that with careful and committed management, even somewhere used for electricity generation, can help, wildlife flourish.”

The Biodiversity Benchmark enables organisations across the country to assess the standard of their conservation management, improve their environmental management procedures and demonstrate their commitment to enhancing biodiversity in support of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP). It is composed of a set of detailed requirements which an organisation must be able to meet.