Market Drayton McDonald's launches biodiversity garden and nature trail
A Shropshire McDonald's has opened the final piece of its 'net-zero' restaurant – a biodiversity garden and nature trail.
The outdoor elements have been added to Market Drayton's branch of the fast food restaurant by franchisee Matt Winfield, with the help of schoolchildren who assisted with the design of the project.
To celebrate the launch, Mr Winfield hosted a walking tour of the garden alongside pupils of Market Drayton Junior School who were involved.
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 was also joined at the event by town mayor Councillor Roy Aldcroft, who is also Shropshire Council's deputy portfolio holder for climate change, environment and transport.
The new biodiversity garden & nature trail aims to help to protect and encourage local wildlife.
The design includes reed beds to collect rainwater from the car park, reducing the amount of water diverted to the sewer 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.
It includes bird and bat boxes, habitats for spiders, insects, frogs and worms, pollinator posts planted with flowers to provide nectar or pollen for bees and butterflies, and native plants and trees.
Mr Winfield, who owns and operates four McDonald’s restaurants in Shropshire, 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.
While it may look like a normal McDonald’s restaurant, it has been designed both inside and out to be as sustainable as possible.
Key elements from the restaurant include 100 per cent renewable energy via wind turbines and solar energy, building cladding made from recycled IT equipment, sustainable British sheep’s wool to insulate the walls, and wall art created from McDonald’s own coffee cups and coffee bean waste.
Since opening in 2021, McDonald’s Louth has followed McDonald’s Market Drayton’s blueprint, taking its innovations to become the second ever McDonald’s net zero restaurant in the UK and Ireland.