Open day gives over 500 locals a look inside Batts Combe quarry

Our Batts Combe quarry opened its doors for a family friendly open day, with over £1,000 raised from ticket sales going to local charity, Cheddar Youth Trust.

More than 500 local residents, including MP for Wells and Mendip Hills, Tessa Munt, attended for a behind the scenes look at quarry operations. Visitors had the opportunity to learn about how aggregates are used in our everyday lives, and how the company works hard to be a good neighbour and support biodiversity.

Throughout the day, minibus tours also transported guests around the quarry so that they could view the quarry floor from the viewing platform as well as get a closer look at the huge machinery used on site. Plant including a jumbo Caterpillar 775G off road truck, a CAT395 Excavator and Volvo A25 Dumper truck were on display, with attendees having the chance to climb into the operator’s seat to experience the sheer scale of the machines.

A range of interactive stalls provided entertainment for the whole family, and our technical team were on hand to show how limestone extracted from the quarry is transformed into essential building materials used in the infrastructure we rely on every day.

Other exhibitors included blasting specialists, BAM, who brought along Spot the robot dog which is used for autonomous site surveying, as well as minerologists from the Russell Society and experts from Somerset Wildlife Trust and the Somerset Earth Science Centre.
Simon Parkes, Unit Manager at Batts Combe quarry, said: “It was wonderful to see so much interest from the community in our open day, with so many keen to explore the quarry and learn more about the importance of the materials we produce.

“We hope it gave visitors a good understanding of the role the quarry plays in the local area and perhaps inspired some of the young people who came along to consider a future in the industry.”