Horwood House Hotel, a 4-star country house hotel and conference venue in Little Horwood, near Milton Keynes, is marking the first anniversary of its award-winning ‘Butterfly Resort’ by transforming the conservation project into a wider butterfly trail across its 38-acre estate.
The hotel launched the initiative in summer 2025 to raise awareness of the decline in native species after Butterfly Conservation declared a “butterfly emergency”.
One year on, the project is entering its next chapter, with the experience being expanded into a dedicated trail through the hotel grounds, featuring educational information, opportunities to spot different species, and interactive activity packs encouraging children to learn more about butterflies and the habitats they rely on.
The anniversary comes as a new survey of Horwood House’s grounds recorded 79 individual butterflies from 13 different species.
Despite windy conditions, Gatekeepers were the most commonly recorded butterfly, with 20 spotted during the one-day survey, followed by 15 Meadow Browns and 12 Red Admirals. Other species included Green-veined Whites, Large Whites, Small Skippers, Holly Blues, Common Blues, Commas, Peacocks, Speckled Woods, a Large Skipper and a Brimstone.
Hugh Ellerton, a Butterfly Conservation trustee, who carried out the survey alongside experienced local butterfly recorder and photographer Lorraine Mosolf, said: “Given the rather windy conditions, this is a very satisfying list. With few exceptions, the butterflies we expected in such favourable habitats were present, often in good numbers.”
The original Butterfly Resort was created by more than 50 students aged between six and 15 from Winchester House School, Stowe School and Swanbourne School. They designed and decorated 20 butterfly houses to form the miniature resort, which then continued to grow through the hotel’s creative corporate packages. One major client added a further ten houses, helping the project become a core part of Horwood’s corporate social responsibilities.
The initiative’s combination of creativity, sustainability and community engagement went on to earn Horwood House the Creative Excellence Award at the 2026 Hotel Marketing Association Awards.
Now, rather than remaining a single installation, the project is being developed into a journey through the hotel’s grounds, encouraging guests to explore the wider estate and discover more about the butterflies and habitats found there.
Caroline Morrone, General Manager at Horwood House Hotel, said: “When we launched the Butterfly Resort last summer, we wanted to create something that would capture children’s imaginations while starting a much bigger conversation about the natural world around them.
“A year later, it is incredibly exciting to see that idea continuing to evolve. The new trail gives us the opportunity to take guests beyond the original resort and encourage them to explore more of our grounds, learn about the different species they may encounter and understand why creating the right habitats matters.”
The Butterfly Resort and new trail form part of Horwood House’s wider environmental commitments, having introduced beehives to promote pollinator-friendly activity across the estate, alongside wider rewilding, tree planting and organic gardening projects.
Karim Kassam, owner of Horwood House and founder of ZIZ Hospitality, a hospitality investment and management firm that acquired and extensively refurbished Horwood House in 2019, added: “The Butterfly Resort has developed into something that brings together education, conservation and community involvement. Evolving it into a trail means that story can continue to grow and become an even more meaningful part of the Horwood House experience.”
The butterfly trail is now available for guests to enjoy during their visit to Horwood House.
For more information on Horwood House Hotel, please visit www.horwoodhouse.co.uk.
