Award winning ‘Butterfly Resort’ near Milton Keynes adds new trail to mark 1st anniversary
A luxury hotel is celebrating the first anniversary of its award-winning ‘Butterfly Resort’ by transforming the conservation project into a wider butterfly trail across its estate.
Horwood House Hotel launched its miniature ‘resort’ for butterflies in summer 2025 to raise awareness of the decline in native species after Butterfly Conservation declared a “butterfly emergency”.
One year on, the experience is now being expanded into a dedicated trail across the 38-acre hotel grounds. The new trail features 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.
Hugh Ellerton, a Butterfly Conservation trustee, who helped to carry out the survey, 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.
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.
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, added: “The Butterfly Resort has developed into something that brings together education, conservation and community involvement. Evolving it into a trail means that the 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. You can visit Horwood House Hotel for more information.