UK National Parks has announced a new two year partnership with trade kitchen supplier Howdens to support nature recovery across some of the country's most important natural landscapes.
The collaboration will focus on enhancing biodiversity, restoring local ecosystems, and contributing to urgent climate action across the UK’s National Parks.
Alongside an initiative called ‘GrubsUp!’ in the North York Moors National Park, aiming to restore and connect vital wildlife sites, Howdens will also support the Beelines project, restoring crucial wildlife corridors for pollinators across the South Downs National Park.
The partnership will also engage Howdens staff with the importance of nature, promoting both environmental stewardship and personal wellbeing in line with the business’s commitment to sustainability.
Spanning 10% of Great Britain’s land area, the 15 National Parks are crucial to sustaining biodiversity, protecting wildlife, and combating climate change. By teaming up with like-minded businesses such as Howdens, the National Parks can take immediate action to protect and restore these vital landscapes.
Claire Toomey, ESG Programme Lead for Howdens said:
“At Howdens, we rely heavily on the natural environment for raw materials in the production of kitchens, bedrooms and joinery, and we believe strongly in protecting the environment and local communities where these materials come from. We are committed to achieving net zero and want to continue to support the management of natural resources as part of our road to zero initiative. We have chosen to support National Parks due to its national reach but with targeted projects at a local level.”
The first project, GrubsUp!, will focus on restoring and connecting vital wildlife sites surrounding one of North Yorkshire’s most scenic roads. Linking Thirsk to Scarborough, the busy A170 winds through market towns, quaint villages, and passes stunning woodlands, pastures, and farmland. This new project aims to create ‘insect super-highways,’ improving habitats for pollinators and other wildlife.
The partnership will also support to the Beelines project, which restores vital wildflower corridors across the South Downs National Park. Through community-led planting of native wildflowers, this project enhances ecosystem resilience, promotes biodiversity, and provides sustainable food sources for pollinators like bees and butterflies—critical for the health of local ecosystems. The Beelines initiative has so far created over 100 hectares – or 160 football pitches – of brand-new wildflower meadows to help pollinators thrive.
Jan Knowlson, Biodiversity Officer for the South Downs National Park, said:
“Bees are essential to healthy ecosystems and by pollinating flowers they create food for other wildlife and, of course, humans. In fact, one out of every three mouthfuls of our food depends on pollinators such as bees. Bees have been on the decline across the UK for many years, so it’s wonderful to receive this support from Howdens which will mean we can help nature bounce back by creating even more wildflower habitats.”
To find out more about National Parks Partnerships visit – www.nationalparks.uk/national-parks-partnerships/