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John and Ceilia outside their award-winning eco guesthouse
We like to think our members are special – and it seems others do, too! We’ve recently heard from three members who have won awards in recognition of their commitment to sustainability.
In June, saver John Whitehead’s eco guesthouse in Snowdonia was named a Considerate Hotelier Hotel of the Year 2014, with John and his wife Ceilia winning the Green Team of the Year category. The award recognises the ‘best of the best’ in terms of sustainable tourism, regardless of size or prestige: last year’s winner was The Savoy! The guesthouse has also recently been given Platinum status in the new TripAdvisor Green Leaders Programme, reflecting John and Ceilia’s outstanding commitment to reducing the impact of their property.
A few weeks later, Philip and Joy Newbold’s super-efficient self-build in Country Durham won Best Individual New Home in the 2014 LABC Building Excellence Awards, recognising innovation and quality in design and construction. This fantastic achievement reflects Phil and Joy’s determination to achieve the highest levels of energy efficiency while complying with strict planning regulations.
Last but not least, Ecology saver and Director Chris Newman scooped the Domestic Retrofit category at the Greenbuild Awards 2014 for Hope Villa, an eco-renovation of a three story Victorian house in Peckham. Refurbishment work on the house included internal and external wall insulation, a multi-zoned heating system, water saving devices and low-energy appliances.
While our members were busy winning awards, we were busy judging them! In July this year we sponsored two national awards schemes that reflect different aspects of our sustainable lending programme, the Plunkett Foundation Rural Community Ownership Awards and the UK Passivhaus Awards.
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Winners of the 2014 Rural Community Ownership Awards
The Better Environment category in the Plunkett Awards was won by Tackley Community Shop in Oxfordshire. The team at Tackley works collaboratively to minimise food miles and maximise support to local suppliers, and the shop recently fitted solar panels to help to offset energy bills across a number of community buildings.
Our sponsored category at the UK Passivhaus Awards, Bespoke Project Design, was won by New Farmhouse, the first Passivhaus in Ayrshire. This striking timber-framed home, modelled on a traditional hayshed, uses recycled glass insulation and airtight design to minimise heat loss, and generates all the energy it uses from on-site renewables.
Congratulations to all the winners!
