At Tarmac, our commitment to environmental education has reached a new milestone with the establishment of a five-year partnership with The Conservation Volunteers (TCV).
This collaboration gives local people the opportunity to connect with nature and learn about the environment by getting hands on experience working on some of our conservation projects. We’re excited to tell you more about this partnership, the history of TCV, and what you can expect from this partnership in 2025 and beyond.
About The Conservation Volunteers
TCV’s own strategy focuses on connecting people with green spaces by delivering impactful projects, empowering communities, and engaging diverse communities to create lasting benefits for both people and nature. By supporting these efforts, Tarmac is proud to play an active role in fostering community-led conservation initiatives.
The Conservation Volunteers was first established in 1959 by Brigadier Armstrong who was appointed by Council for Nature, a group of natural history organisations. Originally named the Conservation Corps, its aim is to encourage local volunteers to support conservation efforts. In its earlier years, the involvement of figures such as HRH Duke of Edinburgh, who served as patron, and Sir David Attenborough, who was Vice President, played a key role in boosting its visibility and influence.
By the 1980s,TCV had evolved into an independent organisation, expanding its activities to include education through the creation of training courses for volunteers. It eventually became one of the largest providers of environmental training for unemployed people in the sector.
The Conservation Volunteers at Mountsorrel
Our partnership with TCV began last year, creating new opportunities for volunteers to get involved in managing and enhancing the restored habitats at Mountsorrel Quarry. In 2024, we organised 10 days of hands-on working parties.
In 2025, we have completed 14 days of conservation activities focusing on the areas around Broad Hill and Kinchley Lane. For example, TCV joined us in removing old tree guards that were no longer needed and tackling invasive species like Buddleia to help preserve and enhance the grass heathland.
Clive Forty, Senior Project Officer at TCV shared his thoughts on the collaboration: “We are really pleased to form a working partnership with Tarmac at Mountsorrel Quarry helping maintain and establish the biodiversity around the quarry. Our practical conservation volunteers are working to help control scrub encroachment on Broad Hill. We aim to repurpose all material cuttings into dead hedge habitat corridors, further increasing habitat diversity.”
By focusing on practical conservation tasks, the partnership addresses immediate ecological needs but also ensures that the restored areas of the quarry remain vibrant and beneficial for all species that depend on them. The end of March saw the completion of the second year of TCV’s restoration efforts at the quarry.
Aaron Laycock, Quarry Manager at Mountsorrel Quarry, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership: “It is great to have The Conservation Volunteers supporting us at Mountsorrel Quarry. We love to see their passion and commitment helping us manage our precious restored habitats.”
This partnership is one of forty conservation collaborations Tarmac has nationwide with a wide range of conservation organisations. Through our work together, we’re not only enhancing biodiversity at Mountsorrel Quarry — we’re also helping volunteers connect with nature, build confidence, become actively involved in the restoration process and learn valuable environmental skills.
At Mountsorrel Quarry, we will continue to work with our community partners to improve biodiversity, restoring land, supporting people and building a legacy of conservation to benefit the local community and environment for years to come.
You can find out more about what goes on at Mountsorrel Quarry by clicking here. Read more about The Conservation Volunteers here.
