Environment Awards

The 2009 Environment Awards

The 2009 Environment Awards saw a record number of entries.  Each one demonstrated a genuine commitment towards environmental issues whether through the determination of individuals or by the collective efforts within communities and schools. Many of the projects are seeking volunteers or could be copied in other locations - if you would like to find out more about the projects contact the Sustainability Team on 01263 516271 or email sustainability@north-norfolk.gov.uk. Scroll down to see the winners and shortlisted entries in each of the four categories. The John Sweeney Award was won by Copys Green Farm.

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Green Buildings

WINNER - Neatishead Village Hall
The community was deeply involved in the development of this state-of the art new village hall, which meets up to date standards that would have been difficult to install in the previous hall. The inside of the new building has been thoughtfully developed to provide light and spacious rooms. It is timber framed with straw bales and ‘Warmcell’ recycled paper insulation, and its design maximizes solar gain with heating provided by a ground source heat pump. The project overcame various logistical obstacles and made the most of every opportunity to involve local people in parts of the construction, setting up courses for on-site learning and bringing school children to assist in rendering and making clay tiles. The project has a broad ambition to serve both as a brilliant new facility for residents, an attractive tourist information site and to raise awareness of eco-friendly building methods.

Pinehurst, Roughton
This former bungalow was radically transformed into a house, using sustainable forms of construction and recycled materials as well as efficient and low carbon technologies. The attractive new building now features high levels of insulation, a ground source heat pump, appropriate use of external wood cladding, and glazing to increase passive solar gain.

Kelling Heath Holiday Park
A touring amenity building in this holiday park was refurbished to a high standard using a range of environmentally-friendly technologies.  These include solar panels for water heating, grey water reuse (to flush toilets), a ground-to-air heat exchange system, as well as energy saving PiR lighting sensors. 

Bayfield Brecks Barns
Units for fifteen businesses in a rural location were provided by careful refurbishment of traditional farm buildings. The barns are well insulated to ensure thermal comfort and maintain low energy costs. The heating of the development is provided by a woodchip boiler, which is fuelled using timber from woodlands on the estate.

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Business

WINNER - Copys Green Farm
A major project, on a farm which has a long standing commitment to improving and developing its environmental credentials, has drawn on the knowledge of its owners with the installation of various boiler schemes to make use of materials from the farm itself, including straw and biomass. After visiting renewable energy projects in Germany and Austria the owners of the farm were encouraged to set up a biogas plant, fed by slurry, manure, whey, maize silage and fodder beet generated on site. This has required huge investment. The plant is not overly conspicuous (comparable with a large grain hopper) and when running converts waste into energy that is used on the farm and distributed to nearby homes. The waste residue is odourless and suitable for use as organic fertilizer to be returned to the fields. The farm is keen to promote alternative energies and the plant will be a real asset in North Norfolk, demonstrating a technology that is already widely used across Europe.

Bakers and Larners of Holt
This busy store in a market town collects its own waste, and that of other local businesses, for recycling. It has been a successful venture, producing 17-18 tonnes of cardboard and 3 tonnes of plastic and polythene per month, diverting it from landfill. Investment in a baling machine and an covered area dedicated to storing bulky cardboard means that material can be processed and sent off as higher grade recyclable packaging waste. The company has also installed a rainwater harvesting system for use in the garden centre.

The Pavilion, Gresham
This oak framed, timber clad building set in a meadow at Common Farm has used natural materials in its construction with an emphasis on strong design to improve energy efficiency. The Green Pavilion is used as a holiday let, sometimes in combination with pottery courses run by its owners and supports the overall approach of environmental consideration within the business.

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Schools

WINNER - East Ruston School Kitchen
This school has transformed a bare concrete space into a kitchen garden to teach children a wide range of skills, as well as growing food to be cooked and used by the school kitchen. Meals were previously brought some distance but cooking in school now forms part of curriculum education and uptake of school meals has increased hugely. Parents and other volunteers helped with the initial groundwork and the pupils are now growing a useful range of vegetables as well as having hands-on experience of rearing chickens. The principles are carried through right around the school, with a large wooded and marshy area enabling exploratory education. Benches have been set up so that children can eat lunch outdoors when the weather is suitable and all the other flower beds have been planted with cheerful flowers, fruit bushes and trees.

Sidestrand Hall School
Pupils looked at the problem of waste and took a novel and proactive approach to cut the amount that needs to be sent to landfill. Collecting and sorting different materials, those involved in the project have worked to raise awareness around the whole school of recycling, with a dedicated team monitoring and checking progress in every classroom.

N Walsham Infant School
Here, a tiny garden was adapted for use by a large number of pre-school children. An old tree provides shade and scope to find bugs and beetles, an asphalt area features old tyres planted with flowers, while a small grassy area was dug over to plant with fruit and vegetables. Parents’ help was enlisted to dig out turf for a pond to develop an area to observe wildlife. Children are supported in composting activities, collecting fruit waste and mixing with weeds and leaves.

Sheringham High School
The eco-team at this school developed an action plan which addreses the carbon footprint of the school. The team works to reduce energy consumption with a strong campaign using assemblies and ‘switch off’ days to involve the whole school community. The group monitored energy use and ran experiments with fluorescent tube lights to test best use. The wind turbine is a beacon of their achievements and helps to power the school, reducing its carbon emissions.

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Community

WINNER - Trunch Community Composting
Following the stimulus of the County Council and Garden Organics’ master composter initiative, this community generated local support to set up a green waste recycling scheme. After securing a suitable site, gaining planning permission and obtaining necessary resources, they set up a composting system near to the village.  Regular collections pick up sacks of lawn mowings, hedge clippings and other garden waste using a vintage tractor and trailer, which has become an interesting feature of Saturday mornings in the village. Volunteers help to process materials which are carefully weighed (in order to gain recycling credits to fund other projects in Trunch) before being stored in compost bins on another site. When it is ready the compost is returned to the barn site for fine sieving and bagging up for sale. Monthly updates are provided to locals about how the project is working, and volunteers have been able to get to know others in the village. 

North Walsham and Dilham Canal Trust
This canal, originally opened in 1826, had become neglected and overgrown. A group of energetic volunteers worked with landowners and key organisations to establish a trust that clears waterways and develops paths to improve the benefits to wildlife as well as providing recreational space for local people. The trust works closely with its partners to bring about good management, holds regular work parties and has produced an excellent leaflet.

Friends of Green Open Spaces 
This informal group, set up in 2006 with funding from Holt Town Council, assists with the maintenance of Spout Hills. The group encourage understanding and interest in the 14 acres of green open space close to the town. Monthly work parties undertake activities ranging from pond clearing, hand-pulling weeds, litter picking and mowing pathways, helping local people to continue enjoying a site that is rich in social history.

Langham Allotments
This association was set up to make use of a piece of land offered by a local landowner for use as allotments. With the support of the parish council, meetings hosted by the local pub and grants to cover the legal costs, the association now provides 10 full-sized plots and 5 half-sized plots, which have been well received. The group is looking to improve the site with a shed and on-site water.