by Anne Hayes - Hills Group

Traditional methods such asreed beds help to protect waterquality on a waste siteThe group has taken full advantage of legislation whichallows it to allocate funds, which would otherwise go tolandfill tax, to local green causes such as the WiltshireWildlife Trust, the Cotswold Water Park Society, PurtonCommunity Hall and Compton Bassett church. Othersponsorships include the regeneration of part of BraydonForest, Purton; the Swillbrook nature reserve; andupgrading canal locks and the pumping station at Wilton.Celebrating a Sand and GravelAssociation restoration awardThe third and most recent plank of the business meant asignificant diversification when Hills went into theconstruction business. True to founder Edward’s dictumnot to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, orcompete with its customers, the family had never beenbuilders. In 1998, however, it bought out buildersOlivemead Developmentsand today, under the nameCounty Homes, has sitesunder constructionthroughout Wiltshire and isaiming for a £8 millionturnover by 2001.Since focusing on threecore activities, the companyhas expanded greatly and isnow better placed than everwith 15 years still to run ofthe Wiltshire WasteContract, a booming housebuilding side and excellentreserves of aggregate andlandfill space.There are no plans to sellor to go public and arepresentative of the nextgeneration, Michael,Robert’s son, has alreadyentered the business.The future looks rosy.A serene restoration in the Cotswold Water Park23