Pictured above: Up for an award (l-r) Nigel and Karen Lowthrop from Hill Holt Wood

The values of ancient woodland have helped one of Lincolnshire's fastest growing environmental enterprises make it through to the finals of a prestigious competition, which celebrates exciting partnerships between business and academia.

Hill Holt Wood is down to the last three in the 'Innovation in Sustainability' category of the Lord Stafford Awards after impressing judges with its commitment to diversification and its close working relationship with the University of Lincoln that has seen it develop one of the most advanced 'eco-buildings' even seen in the UK.

The construction of the Woodland Community Hall will use reinforced limecrete, rammed earth walls and super-insulated timber frames in the design that should increase photovoltaic electricity generation and rain water harvesting.

It has been designed with expert assistance from a Knowledge Transfer Associate and young graduate architects, who have pushed the boundaries of building and green materials to come up with the 'beacon' building.

Due to be completed later this summer, it will become a focal point for the community and be available for family functions, corporate events, training sessions and, importantly as an Alumni hub for former graduates from the organisation's educational activities.

Karen Lowthrop, who bought Hill Holt Wood with husband and fellow social entrepreneur Nigel for just £32,000 in 1995, picked up the story: 

"A lot of people thought we were mad when I swapped my job with a multi-national business to take on a dilapidated ancient wood and even madder still when they found out we were going to live there in a caravan with no electric and water supply.

"They were probably right, but we knew what we could achieve over time and the first step was transferring ownership to the local community through a social enterprise in 2002.

Nigel continued: "The latest project, Woodland Community Hall, shows how far we have come on the journey and will provide us with the most advanced environmentally friendly building in the UK. And what is pleasing is the level of local involvement, from the skills and expertise of the University and the hard work of our staff to the pro bono work of Symonds Architects, which has probably saved us £750,000."

Hill Holt Wood has already received national praise for its diversification work and commitment to sustainability, with the enterprise receiving visits from Prince Charles and Conservative Leader David Cameron.

Both high profile 'fans' of the initiative have been drawn to the organisation's ability to use the virtues of the woodland to create a thriving social enterprise that now employs 27 people, many of whom are graduates and skilled in motor engineering, blacksmithing, building and in forestry training.

With this skills base firmly in place Hill Holt now boasts a thriving ecosystem and turnovers in excess of £550,000 every year thanks to its ability to produce a range of items in the wood, including carved decorative items, machined turned goblets, bespoke seating, bird tables and composting toilets.

"The other area I'm really proud of is the work we do for Lincolnshire County Council in nurturing and educating young people, who either have learning difficulties or have been permanently excluded from school," explained Nigel.

Social Enterprise Ambassador Karen picked up the story: "By taking them out of the usual classroom environment we are opening them up to a whole new world of opportunity. First of all we get to know their 'DNA' in terms of what makes them tick and then we use land-based training that teaches them craft skills whilst also embedding core GCSE subjects such as history, English, maths and science.

"We have already helped more than 400 under-16s gain valuable qualifications, with 70% of our graduates moving on to further education."

University of Lincoln has played a fundamental role in the evolution of Hill Holt Wood and, in turn, has been able to secure a number of benefits from the Knowledge Transfer Partnership.

In addition to incorporating a social enterprise element into its sustainability and low carbon buildings research, the University has also been able to improve its employer engagement approach and has seen its work secure an Award by Momenta  for 'Best Application of Social or Management Science'.

Greg White, Head of Employer Engagement at the University of Lincoln, concluded: "Hill Holt Wood has been a fantastic working relationship and one that has engendered a real culture change in how we operate. This is just the start and we look forward to moving the relationship forward in the future."

Backed by the East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA), MAS East Midlands, the East Midlands Universities Association and Lincolnshire County Council, the Lord Stafford Awards are designed to celebrate and recognise innovative collaborations between business and universities.

The winners of the awards, which cover 'Innovation Achieved', 'Innovation in Development' and 'Innovation in Sustainability', will be announced at a high-profile finale on September 10th at the Epic Centre in Lincolnshire.

Other sponsors for the event include Ceramic Decals, CFE Ltd, Clever Cherry, Connect Midlands, Enterprise Europe Network and Swindell and Pearson.