SOURCE: Heidelberg Materials | August 19, 2026
HEIDELBERG Materials UK’s Batts Combe Quarry, near Cheddar, in Somerset, recently opened its gates for a family friendly open day, with more than £1,000 raised from ticket sales going to local charity Cheddar Youth Trust.
Over 500 local residents, including Tessa Munt, MP for Wells and Mendip Hills, attended for a behind-the-scenes look at quarry operations. Visitors had the opportunity to learn about how aggregates are used in their everyday lives, and how the company works hard to be a good neighbour and support biodiversity.
Throughout the day, minibus tours transported guests around the quarry so that they could look down on the quarry floor from the viewing platform, as well as get a closer look at the machinery used on site. Plant including a Caterpillar 775G dumptruck, a Cat 395 excavator and a Volvo A25 articulated dumptruck were on display, with attendees having the chance to climb into the operator’s seat to experience the size of the machines.
A range of interactive stalls provided entertainment for the whole family, and Heidelberg Materials UK’s technical team were on hand to show how limestone extracted from the quarry is transformed into essential building materials used in the infrastructure everyone relies 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 mineralogists 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.’
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