Tucklesholme, just outside Burton-upon-Trent, was a large, intensively grazed grassland that is being transformed into the county’s biggest reed bed, with aspirations to attract species that have not bred in the area for almost 100 years.

Use the arrows below to explore how the site has changed…

The site was quarried for minerals by Aggregate Industries in the 2010s and was purchased by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust in 2014, whilst it was still an active quarry.

By working with the quarry company, developers, economists and the public sector, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust created a unique partnership where, rather than simply extracting as much gravel as possible and leaving a big hole to be filled with water, the restoration approach was based on purposefully removing material in a way that left features that are essential for biodiversity. There was just as much focus on creating a nature reserve as there was on mineral extraction.

Mineral working ended in 2018 with the site opening to the public in spring 2019, creating arguably one of the largest purpose built nature reserves in the UK, covering 55 hectares.