The University of Worcester has received a chorus of praise for its work to encourage nature on its campuses after being shortlisted for a prestigious national award.
Hedgerow being planted at the University of Worcester’s Lakeside Campus by volunteers in 2025.
Below: a wildflower strip on the St John’s Campus, planted in 2022.
The Mayor of Worcester was among those to highlight the University’s achievements on the environment, while a regional wildlife conservation charity said the institution was leading the way in helping to improve nature in Worcester.
The University is in the running for the Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership award, one of four awards that the University has been shortlisted for at the Times Higher Education Awards, widely regarded as the Oscars of the higher education sector.
A team combining academic expertise, operations, students and external partners has ensured the University’s Biodiversity Strategy has led to habitat creation and restoration activities on campus.
This includes 450 metres of hedgerow planted in collaboration with the RSPB in 2024/2025 at the Lakeside Campus to help provide a habitat for declining farmland bird populations and the creation of 2.8 hectares of wildflower strips. More than 10 per cent of the University’s estate is now actively managed for conservation.
Mayor of Worcester, Tor Pingree, said: "The University of Worcester is well known in the city for their environmental work, and it is fantastic to see them recognised nationally for this. I have visited the University many times and always been impressed by their work to educate students on biodiversity and to design each campus with wildlife in mind."
Worcestershire Wildlife Trust’s Head of Conservation, Steve Bloomfield, said: “We’ve been pleased to partner with the University through our Natural Networks programme, helping the team there to deliver habitat enhancements across the university campus whilst encouraging improved understanding of the natural world among students and Worcester City residents.
Mr Bloomfield added: “We’re continuing to collaborate together on future projects and our officers enjoy working closely with passionate and enthusiastic university staff. The results speak for themselves; with over 10 per cent of the campus now managed for conservation the University is leading the way in helping to improve nature in Worcester.
“We commend their work and very much hope they come out as winners of this prestigious award!”
University of Worcester Business and Finance third year student, Elias Forsberg, took part in planting the hedgerows at Lakeside Campus last year.
He said: “Having taken part myself, it’s particularly nice to see those kinds of initiatives recognised at this level. I think it is important that universities take an active role in protecting and improving biodiversity. Universities are not only places of education and research but also an important part of the local community and environment, so they have a real opportunity to lead by example.”
Elias added: “Initiatives such as hedgerow and wildflower planting make a tangible difference while also giving students the opportunity to get involved and understand the importance of environmental issues beyond the classroom.”
Dr Kate Ashbrook, Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences, is Chair of the Biodiversity Steering Group. “Our Biodiversity Strategy has delivered real, measurable benefits for nature across our campuses,” she said. “At a time where biodiversity is declining globally, universities should do more than minimise their environmental impact and actively contribute to nature recovery. We're proud of the progress we've made and excited about what comes next.”
Katy Boom, the University of Worcester’s Director of Sustainability, added: “From offering free plants to our students, to installing solar panels on our buildings, to bringing biodiversity to our campuses, we are always striving to work in a more sustainable way and help others to do so too within the University community and beyond. We are proud to be shortlisted for this award, but to have this praise from those in the City, our nature partners and also the student community really inspires us to continue our work to bring nature to our campuses and towards our sustainability goals.”
The winners of the Times Higher Education Awards will be announced at a ceremony in Birmingham on November 26 2026.