Students get to grips
with nature at
Beaconsfield Services

57 students from Butlers Court School have spent time getting to grips with nature, on an ecology day at Beaconsfield Services. The Motorway Service Area (MSA), one of the largest on the UK road network, which is located at Junction 2 of the M40 and operated by Extra, played host to an ecology day, where Year 4 students were able to understand more about wildlife, nature and learn key skills about the world of work.

In the initiative, which was designed and delivered by Ahead Partnership, market-leaders in providing measurable social impact, volunteers from Extra MSA Group gave insights into their working day whilst highlighting the importance of ecology, environmental management and biodiversity. The visit aimed to help the students develop key employability and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills such as communication, investigation and recording evidence.

The participants took part in a number of activities including a site tour where they looked for evidence of animals making the site their habitat in a ‘Walking Safari’, and a design challenge to create a feature aimed at improving Beaconsfield’s biodiversity credentials. Beaconsfield Services landscaped grounds, preserved woodlands and lake made this an ideal location for the students to explore these topics.

Tom Dobson, CEO of Extra MSA Group said: “We first worked with Ahead Partnership when building our Leeds Skelton Lake Services and ecology played a key part in the initiatives we delivered there. For this initiative, our team at Beaconsfield spent the day helping the students to learn more about how we operate and the environment we work in. Ecology plays an important role at all of our sites, and Beaconsfield benefits from extensive natural habitat, including a lake.

“We continue to look at the environmental impact that our industry has and are rolling-out initiatives aimed at making us more sustainable, such as increased EV charging and on-site recycling and energy reduction initiatives.  We were very pleased to welcome students from Butler’s Court School across to Beaconsfield to see why the actions we’re taking are so important.”

Megan Lipp, Head of Development at Ahead Partnership said: “This initiative gave students the opportunity to explore the world of work in their local area, whilst understanding the role that ecology plays in our day-to-day lives. Our work with Extra on their social value programme has enabled young people to develop their appreciation for the importance Extra Motorway Services place on the environment in their developments, learn some key employability skills and consider potential career choices they may never have heard of before, especially in the STEM sector. This is a truly joined-up approach to tackling ESG and investing in the future of the local area.”