Three tourism businesses near Lancaster win coveted 'Green' awards

Dale House Barn and B&B, NaturesGems wildlife tours and Little Oakhurst Glamping are the first three businesses within the Eco Escapes project to become Green Tourism accredited, achieving Gold, Silver and Bronze awards respectively.

Now, by displaying the Green Tourism badge, they can demonstrate their eco credentials at a glance.

“Eco Escapes is a campaign to promote sustainable tourism across Lancashire,” said Hetty Byrne, Forest of Bowland AONB Sustainable Tourism Officer.

"It encourages visitors to enjoy the Forest of Bowland and Arnside and Silverdale AONBs while ‘treading carefully’ in the landscape and using car-free travel where possible.

“In particular, it highlights visitor destinations which support sustainable tourism.”

Working with Green Tourism – an internationally respected accreditation scheme - businesses can have their sustainability efforts independently assessed, giving them a competitive edge with eco-minded visitors. It’s a way of setting apart those businesses that actively embrace and invest in green practices.

Dominique Ashford, Dale House Barn and B&B owner, said: “We were proud to achieve Gold status because we feel so strongly about sustainability. The self-audit process made us examine our own practices critically, which was ultimately very rewarding and showed how much we’ve achieved since buying the barn in 2014.

“We’ve invested in technology like solar panels, an electric car charging point and a biomass boiler. Our ethos infiltrates everything we do; we strive to use seasonal, local produce and live closer to nature in a simpler, more sustainable way.

"Gaining the Green Tourism Gold accreditation is a good way to prove that we are as green as we say we are.”

Gemma Wren, founder of NaturesGems, said the accreditation process was stringent without being arduous. “It was definitely thought provoking and very thorough; there’s no way to ‘green wash’ things as it’s a very structured assessment which requires evidence at every stage,” she said.

Charlotte Collinge of Little Oakhurst Glamping added: “I really quite enjoyed the application process. It helped us focus on what we’re doing through a different lens, and it’s always nice to be recognised for our hard work on the sustainability front; particularly our hedgerow planting to create wildlife corridors.”