Kia UK, which is headquartered in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, first entered a partnership with Surrey Wildlife Trust in March 2022 for three years. The partnership extension will now see Kia and the Trust work together until the end of 2025. The partnership aids the important conservation of nationally significant heathland and chalk grassland, as well as vital woodlands and wetlands. In addition, young people are being provided with reserves management training to equip them with essential skills for future nature conservation across the region.
Kia UK staff have already made an impact with several hands-on staff days to help with vital and practical conservation efforts. In addition, Kia and the Trust have raised awareness of biodiversity and the important role it plays in Surrey.
£1 million ‘Save Surrey’s Nature’ Appeal
Kia UK has additionally become a Foundation Partner for Surrey Wildlife Trust's latest campaign to ‘Save Surrey’s Nature’, which aims to restore and expand Surrey’s most diverse and threatened habitats.
The two-year £1 million drive focuses on long-term work to reverse the alarming loss of biodiversity in Surrey. The Trust also aims to do more to meet the nationwide ‘30 by 30’ goal to restore 30 per cent of UK land and sea for nature, by 2030.
The fundraising effort will initially focus on all habitats followed by specific priority areas, including to join up Surrey’s heathland habitats and work to improve and extend Surrey’s unique wetlands.
To find out more and watch a film explaining why this mission is so urgent, please visit https://www.surreywildlifetrust.org/appeal
Welcoming today’s announcement, Surrey Wildlife Trust’s CEO Sarah Jane Chimbwandira said:
“It’s great that the team at Kia UK has chosen to extend its partnership with us, and to support our urgent campaign to Save Surrey’s Nature. With nature under unprecedented pressure, and the demand for sustainable solutions to biodiversity loss and climate change more pressing than ever before, the involvement of forward-thinking businesses in conservation and the transition to a low-carbon economy is needed more than ever.
“Combining financial support with in-kind donations and the provision of additional man hours through volunteering showcases a partnership approach that I believe will benefit Kia employees as well as the natural systems, species and services that we all depend on.”
Paul Philpott, President and CEO of Kia UK, added:
“We continue our unwavering commitment to sustainability and Surrey with this partnership extension. We are very proud to play our part in the incredible and essential work that the Surrey Wildlife Trust carries out on a daily basis, and we fully support its latest £1 million ‘Save Surrey’s Nature’ campaign.
“We continue to invest in making our business evermore sustainable, taking decisive action to reduce carbon across the business while on our pioneering journey to reach carbon neutrality by 2045.
“Action often starts at home, and with our UK headquarters based at Walton-On-Thames and many staff located across Surrey, our partnership with the Trust makes absolute sense and will continue to make a clear and genuine difference for the wider community.”
