Marlborough business Hills give Wiltshire Wildlife Trust a £270,000 boost

A £270,000 Landfill Communities Fund grant from the Hills Group to the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust has further strengthened a partnership which was founded 20 years ago to support nature conservation and help wildlife in Wiltshire adapt to a changing climate.

“The Trust’s work is vital in ensuring that wildlife habitats are created and protected for future generations to enjoy,” said Mike Hill, chief executive, who presented the cheque to the chairman of the Trust, Perry Chadwick Healey, when trustees toured Hills’ materials recycling facility at Lower Compton near Calne.  “As a company we care about the locations that give us our living and do our best to give something back.  It is a strong principle of ours and one which has benefited all communities in Wiltshire.”

 Since 1996 the Hills Group has contributed more than £4.5m to the Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) to support the conservation of biodiversity and the provision of public amenities in the region.

 “This generous grant from Hills will help us continue our crucial work to protect, maintain and enhance Wiltshire’s biodiversity and create the Living Landscapes that we need if there is to be a sustainable future for wildlife and people,” says Dr Gary Mantle, Director of the Trust.

 The LCF was introduced by the Government in 1996 and provided Hills with the opportunity to boost its funding to the Trust by allowing it to divert Landfill Tax to various projects. The Trust and the Hills Group were the first organisations in the country to work in partnership in this way.