Nature trail created at engineering firm HQ

An engineering firm has created a nature trail around its headquarters to encourage wildlife to the site and boost employees health and wellbeing.

The 1km (0.6 mile) long route has been developed in the grounds of Aesseal's Mill Close base in Rotherham.

The trail, which will be officially opened on 22 May, features habitats for animals, including hedgehogs and bees, as well as an outdoor classroom for schools to use and a covered meeting area.

Company founder and managing director Chris Rea, 71, said the initiative had been "25 years in the making".

"About 30 years ago William Hague was on our board and asked what we were going to do about the environment and we thought maybe we'd have a pond," Mr Rea said.

"Then we realised we could be more ambitious."

The trail, which snakes around the perimeter of the Bradmarsh Business Park, also features several sculptures of woodland creatures created by local artist Robin Widdowson.

Since its creation a family of great tits have taken up home in a bird box in the woodland.

Staff have been able to keep an eye on the birds via a camera feed, which plays on a large screen in reception and recently captured the hatching of a number of chicks.

Mr Rea said: "I've educated myself on the subject, I've spent hundreds and thousands of hours reading about the environment to understand net zero and industrial processes.

"I'm not an eco warrior, I'm a pragmatic environmentalist.

"The cost of Co2 emissions will become so huge that businesses have no choice but to tweak their strategies."

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