THE WINNERS of the 2016 Wychavon Intelligently Green Awards have been announced.
Comedian Alistair McGowan hosted the special awards ceremony at Pershore College last Friday (June 17) as the short-listed finalists found out whether or not they had won their category.
The Intelligently Green Awards aims to recognise, celebrate and promote green projects across the Vale.
In total there were five categories up for grabs, including individual and household, small business, larger business and public sector, community group and school and college.
The winners included Stephen Martin who won the individual category for his work in developing Transition Evesham Vale initiatives including the Vale Local Food Festival and the 30:30 local food scheme.
Community group winner was Sedgeberrow Sustainable and Manageable Energy who has been pivotal in helping households in the village obtain grants for external insulation.
Walsh Mushrooms, based on the Vale Park, took home the award for larger business and public sector after they installed solar panels and LED lighting at their distribution depot, resulting in significant reductions in lighting energy demand and heat generation.
In the small business category Pershore Weir Hydro Project was announced as the joint winner for their work protecting a farm from flooding, generating green electricity for Pershore Leisure Centre, promoting wildlife habitats and generating a return on investment for the owner.
The overall winner of the Intelligently Green Awards was SeSaME.
Mike Parker, from SeSaME, said: “It’s great, unbelievable. It will generate a lot of interest in the village. We couldn’t have done it without the help of other people and organisations. It’s good to see Wychavon coming up with new initiatives.”
Coun Emma Stokes, Executive Board Member for Environment and Street Scene at Wychavon District Council, said: “Our judges had a tough enough time selecting the finalists and an even more challenging debate was had as we discussed the possible winners from such a high standard of green projects.
“But in the end the quality of the winners selected really shone through.
“We want them to act as an inspiration to other individuals, businesses and community groups in showing how creative and intelligently green schemes can really work for everyone in Wychavon.”
