Syston Lakes nature reserve to double in size thanks to gift to Wildlife Trust
Added by Love Business East Midlands | 27 August 2025
Coalville-based David Wilson Homes has doubled the size of the Syston Lakes Nature Reserve with a donation of land to the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.
The expansion will provide a much-needed boost to the resident wildlife of the area, creating more resilience for nature along the Soar Valley corridor.
Alongside the land, the leading housebuilder has provided a £20,000 donation to the Trust. Mat Carter, Chief Executive Officer at the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, has said:
“The Syston Lakes Nature Reserve is a vital part of the local environment. With this incredible gift of land and generous donation from David Wilson Homes, we will be able to better ensure its continued health and flourishing.
“As the reserve is a favourite for dog walkers, we are planning to enhance the existing paths and to open up some of the views around the reserve. The new land will be devoted solely to the protection of nature. Some of the work already undertaken by David Wilson Homes has given us a head start!
“This is exactly the sort of partnership we are looking to foster, with like-minded individuals, to better support the wildlife of Leicestershire and Rutland.”
Under the stewardship of the Trust, this handover will increase the connectivity of habitats for the local nature of the area. The Trust has aspirations to engage more people with the site and to see more wildlife visit the area thanks to the planned improvements to the land.
So far, the site has recorded bird species such as Cetti’s Warblers, Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers, Spring Warblers and Whitethroats. Planned work to open up the tree canopy of the new land will help support the settling of these birds. Thanks to the reserve’s lush undergrowth and aquatic habitat, it also plays host to hedgehogs, numerous amphibians and a lot of toads.
John Reddington, Managing Director at David Wilson Homes East Midlands, which has managed the land since 1990, said:
“We are thrilled to partner with Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust and hand over the land to enhance the Syston Lakes Nature Reserve.
“The Trust is best placed to increase the connectivity of the local nature reserves and bring more wildlife to the area, and we hope our £20,000 donation will help its endeavours.”
