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Investing in wildlife pays off for finance firm

Fidelity International’s Kingswood Fields © Adam Tamplin

Fidelity International has won The Wildlife Trusts’ Biodiversity Benchmark award for adopting measures that allow wildlife to thrive.

Orchids, bats and rare fungi are flourishing at Fidelity International’s Kingswood Fields site in Surrey, which has achieved The Wildlife Trusts’ Biodiversity Benchmark award for land management. 

The Wildlife Trusts’ Biodiversity Benchmark is the UK’s only award recognising continual nature enhancement and protection on a business’s landholding. This is the first site from the financial sector to hold the prestigious title, thanks to the ongoing careful management by Q&S Commercial Landscaping on the land that surrounds the offices near Tadworth.  

A metal sculpture of a wildflower sitting on a grass verge, next to a wildflower strip. The other side of the walkway are trees

Fidelity International’s Kingswood Fields © Adam Tamplin

The land comprises a mix of habitats, including grassland, woodlands, gardens and grounds. Adjusting the mowing regime to allow for areas of longer growth has resulted in bee orchids and pyramidal orchids springing up in huge numbers, and over 100 species of fungi have been identified including the rare fiery milkcap: a new species for Surrey. 

Natural roost sites such as ivy and an abundance of insects have proved irresistible to as many as eight species of bat, including the rare Leisler’s bat and noctule bat, the UK’s largest bat. Badgers and foxes are also seen on site, and one lunchtime this year contractors came across a mother roe deer and her newly born fawn. 

Spending time in nature is recognised as supporting both physical and mental wellbeing. As well as the benefits to wildlife, staff at Fidelity International are reaping the rewards of a vibrant, nature-rich workplace. 

They have been keeping track of hedgehog activity by using hedgehog footprint tunnels, which reveal the creatures’ inky tracks as they pass through. Security guards are excitedly sharing overnight footage of tawny owls, and one employee, who maintains three on-site bee hives, collected over 60 jars of honey this year thanks to the abundance of pollinators. 

A roe deer running along a wildflower border, next to a hedge

A roe deer at Fidelity International's site © Adam Tamplin

A bee orchid - an orchid with flowers mimicking a bee - on a grassland

Bee orchid © Adam Tamplin

A walkway with a trimmed hedge on one side, trees and hedges in the background, and grass and flowers on the other side

Fidelity International's site © Adam Tamplin

The area next to a walk way, full of grasses, flowers and a few trees

Fidelity International's site © Adam Tamplin

Bird boxes have also been installed, along with a ‘green roof’ on the new staff gym.  

The Wildlife Trusts’ head of corporate partnerships, Emma Price-Thomas, says: 

“Congratulations to Fidelity International for achieving The Wildlife Trusts’ Biodiversity Benchmark for land management. Achieving this challenging standard is testament to Fidelity International and the commitment of its employees to protecting and enhancing wildlife on this site. 

“Living and working alongside nature is going to be crucial if we are to succeed in bringing nature back. We look forward to Fidelity International continuing to manage the site for wildlife and maintaining Biodiversity Benchmark for many years to come.” 

Adam Tamplin, contract manager for Q&S Commercial Landscaping, says 

“It’s just four years since we took on the contract for Kingswood Fields and already the results are incredible. Leaving the grass to grow in certain areas and not using pesticides has made the biggest difference. The bee orchids were one of the first things we spotted after we started doing No Mow May. There was even a baby roe deer born this summer. I heard a strange noise, and when I checked in the undergrowth a deer appeared with her fawn which she had clearly just given birth to. I gave mum and baby space but was delighted to see such a beautiful example of wildlife making itself at home.” 

David Hill, head of business management at Fidelity International, says: 

“I’m delighted that our Kingswood Fields campus has been accredited with The Wildlife Trust’s Biodiversity Benchmark award, and proud that Fidelity is the first financial organisation to have met their rigorous standards. Whether it’s arriving on site in the morning or going for a lunchtime walk, the fantastic work from the gardening team at Q&S has made everyone’s day here that little bit brighter whilst making the site a haven for wildlife. My thanks to everyone who has made Kingswood a biodiverse and beautiful place to work.” 

Designed to complement the business standard ISO 14001, Biodiversity Benchmark empowers land-owning businesses to make a meaningful impact for nature by certifying their land management systems. Through strategic planning, ecological monitoring, and community involvement, Biodiversity Benchmark holders from a range of sectors – from business parks to water companies – have turned their sites into vibrant ecosystems. 

Companies interested in achieving Biodiversity Benchmark certification can request a pre-assessment form.

Editor's notes

The Wildlife Trusts 

The Wildlife Trusts is making the world wilder and helping to ensure that nature is part of everyone’s lives. It is a grassroots movement of 46 charities with more than 940,000 members and 38,000 volunteers. No matter where you are in Britain, there is a Wildlife Trust inspiring people and saving, protecting and standing up for the natural world. With the support of its members, it cares for and restores special places for nature on land and runs marine conservation projects and collects vital data on the state of the seas. Every Wildlife Trust works within its local community to inspire people to create a wilder future – from advising thousands of landowners on how to manage their land to benefit wildlife, to connecting hundreds of thousands of school children with nature every year. www.wildlifetrusts.org  

Biodiversity Benchmark 

The Wildlife Trusts has created the Biodiversity Benchmark to encourage organisations to manage their land for wildlife and it is the first scheme to recognise continual biodiversity improvement of land. The Benchmark is flexible and adaptable, so that it can be applied to any organisation which manages land, from businesses through to local authorities, service utilities, the NHS, developers and charities. The Wildlife Trusts Biodiversity Benchmark is designed to recognise biodiversity improvements on an organisation’s landholdings; it is not an endorsement of an organisation’s activities or a measurement of its broader environmental performance or impacts. A site that is awarded a Biodiversity Benchmark will be assessed annually. Biodiversity Benchmark | The Wildlife Trusts 

Fidelity International 

At Fidelity International, our purpose is to work together to build better financial futures for our clients and we believe that investing, over the long term, is critical to achieving that. As a family and management-owned company, we think generationally in terms of the services we build and provide, as well as the way in which we invest on our clients’ behalf. 

Our focus is on delivering sustainable investment returns for our clients while managing our impact on society and the environment. To do this, we incorporate sustainability into our business operations and our investment process, working with investee companies to help them operate more sustainably in order to deliver those long-term returns and secure a better future for all. 

Quality & Service (Q&S) Ltd 

Q&S Commercial Landscaping is rooted in horticultural excellence, shouting proud about the benefits of authentically sustainable spaces, designed to flourish long into the future. Spaces that improve the ecosystem. The flora and fauna. 

Our urban gardening teams work hard to ensure the right plants are in the right place. Identifying rare species that deserve protection, reintroducing sustainable planting palettes where suitable and attracting pollinators and birds, improving the physical and mental wellbeing of people who pause, reflect, interact and come back. 

We celebrate nature, planting and horticultural excellence by creating green spaces that stand as a legacy for future generations. One that leaves no harm. And does only good. For the environment, community and wildlife. 

We want all communities to benefit positively from green spaces. By having safe, vibrant places, teeming with life, where not only children, but tenants, customers and visitors learn how to interact with and respect the natural world. Improving their mental and physical health and wellbeing in the process. 

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