Market Drayton's net zero McDonald's unveils Biodiversity Garden
McDonald’s Market Drayton Franchisee, Matt Winfield, has officially opened the final element of his net zero restaurant – a Biodiversity Garden and Nature Trail for the public to enjoy.
To celebrate the launch, Matt hosted a walking tour of the garden alongside the schoolchildren of Market Drayton Junior School who were involved in designing the garden.
Attendees were taken through each of the garden’s elements and its purpose, learning how the area promotes biodiversity.
To show their support of the garden launch, the team were also joined at the event by Cllr Aldcroft, Mayor and Deputy Portfolio Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport.
The new Biodiversity Garden & Nature Trail aims to help to protect and encourage local wildlife.
The garden design includes reed beds to collect rainwater from the carpark, reducing the amount of water diverted to the sewage system while also providing a habitat for frogs and other creatures. The selected trees and shrubs are fast growing, native species that will help capture carbon and provide a pleasant display all year.
The area has now blossomed into a functional garden for the ecosystem and has been transformed into a space for both customers and the local community to enjoy.
The dedicated area helping to improve local ecology and biodiversity includes bird boxes, habitats for spiders, insects, frogs and worms, bat boxes, pollinator posts planted with flowers to provide nectar or pollen for bees and butterflies and plants and trees native to the local area.
Matt Winfield, who owns and operates four McDonald’s restaurants in Shropshire, including Market Drayton, said: “It’s exciting to see the new Biodiversity Garden and Nature Trail flourishing and open for the public to enjoy. At McDonald’s, community is at the heart of everything we do, and we’ve had the pleasure of working with Market Drayton Junior School to design our Biodiversity Garden. We’ve undertaken innovations which help to promote soil health and support the creation of ecosystems, having a positive impact on both human and plant life. I look forward to welcoming local customers to enjoy the garden!”
McDonald’s Market Drayton opened as the UK’s first net zero carbon restaurant in 2021, which now acts as the blueprint for future restaurants across the country. Whilst it may look like a normal McDonald’s restaurant, it has been designed both inside and out to be as sustainable as possible.
