Marwell Zoo: Alan Titchmarsh MBE visits zoo to present them with Queen’s Award

Alan Titchmarsh MBE attended the zoo on March 14 to formally hand over the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for their sustainability growth.

He visited in his capacity as Deputy Lieutenant of the county of Hampshire, along with fellow Deputy Lieutenant Simon Tufnell and only seven of the awards were given out in Hampshire.

The awards were announced on the Queen’s birthday last year but due to subsequent events there was a delay in the presentation, making the zoo one of the last recipiants of the recognition since the Queen’s death.

Alan said: ‘Over many years Marwell has demonstrated, quite clearly, its dedication to sustainability and to conservation, two aspects of our lives which have quite rightly been regarded as of prime importance in the current climate, which is something of a complex scenario at the moment.

‘The need to cherish and sustain all aspects of the natural world is something very close to my heart. The world begins at our front door and the first steps into it take us, I hope, into the garden, the microcosm of nature that’s so often overlooked and under rated while we worry about the global picture.

SEE ALSO: Alan Titchmarsh: 'I feared I would die before QA Hospital airlift'

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II gave Marwell Wildlife the royal seal of approval in recognition of the charity’s achievements in biodiversity conservation, education and sustainability.

The award citation made a particular reference to the reintroduction of the scimitar-horned oryx, which was previously classified as Extinct in the Wild and the zoo has also been using poo to power heating systems.

NOW READ: Marwell Zoo: The zoo has welcomed the birth of a critically endangered addax - here are six photos

Marwell’s chief executive, James Cretney said: ‘While we are all thrilled at receiving this award and the recognition it brings to Marwell’s conservation work, we were naturally delighted that someone so inspiring, with such a love and deep knowledge of nature such as Alan, was able to officially grant us the award.’

Alan added: ‘Success in nature conservation, I reckon, begins with the particular, rather than the general. It’s here that we can make a real and tangible difference, as Marwell knows, through its conservation and sustainability initiatives.’