News

Severn Trent welcomed Harriett Baldwin, MP for West Worcestershire, to a nature reserve outside Worcester recently, to see an exciting new project that will boost biodiversity in the area.

The West Worcestershire MP was given a personal tour of Wildgoose Rural Training & Nature Reserve on Friday 25 June, where major work to improve reed beds at the site has recently finished.

Reed beds provide the perfect habitat for local wildlife and allow biodiversity to thrive. This type of wetland is also an effective nature-based solution to improving water quality.

The project was funded through Severn Trent’s Great Big Nature Boost, a scheme which includes ambitious plans to improve biodiversity across the entire Midlands region. These plans include:

•             Reviving 12,000 acres of land (an area bigger than the size of Gloucester);
•             Planting 1.3 million trees;
•             Helping to restore 2,000km of rivers across the Severn Trent region by 2027.

Harriett Baldwin, MP for West Worcestershire, commented: “Gravel extraction has been a feature of the local economy along the river Severn but it is heartening to see some of these pits re-wilded and playing an important part in improving our natural environment.

“The land which once was full of lorries is now home to so many more birds, insects and plant life and I got a really helpful briefing on how Severn Trent’s Great Big Nature Boost is helping to improve this landscape.

“I’ve been pleased to see the Wildgoose Training Centre expanding on its new site and with this impressive biodiversity project next door, the land is being well used for man and nature.”

Zara Frankton, senior biodiversity coordinator at Severn Trent, said: “We were delighted to welcome Harriett to Wildgoose Nature Reserve last week, to explain the importance of the work we’re doing here. Reed beds are vital for protecting and enhancing biodiversity, as well as providing a natural habitat for local wildlife to thrive.

“They play a key role in improving water quality too. They’re a nature-based solution to cleaning and filtering the local watercourses – offsetting the impact of pollutions and even flooding.”

In May, the water company announced plans to invest £565m and create 2,500 new jobs across the Midlands, as part of an ambitious Green Recovery programme - supporting the UK’s green economic bounce back from the pandemic.