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Back to Local News Back to Archive News Scroll Down NORTHUMBERLAND NATIONAL
PARK - NEWS RELEASE 18 May 2007 National
Park Rothbury Visitor Centre Awarded Silver for Green Tourism Business Third
accolade for National Park Visitor Centres – Eleven National Park Businesses
gain top grades Northumberland National
Park’s Visitor Centre at Rothbury, has completed a hat trick of accolades for
the Authority’s visitor services by gaining a silver Award for Green Tourism
Business today. The Coquetdale Centre,
Rothbury, adds “sustainability” to tributes for best visitor service (Enjoy
England Gold Award – Once Brewed 2007) and best visitor experience (Ingram,
Breamish Valley – 2006). This is the only Green
Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) award given to a visitor centre and a local
authority in the scheme’s North East regional assessments this year. Tony Gates, Chief
Executive of the National Park said: “The Authority is committed to positive
action on climate change and this is just one of the ways in which we are
striving to reduce our carbon footprint by 2012. “Since we initiated
the Green Tourism Business Scheme with our partners, ONE Northeast Tourism Team,
last year, we have been actively encouraging businesses in the National Park to
adopt more sustainable practices. It is a tough assessment and
you have to work hard to meet the Scheme’s very standards. We felt it
important to put ourselves under the same scrutiny that we recommend to others
and to lead by example. We can give ourselves a pat on the back for
getting a silver, but now we must try harder and go for gold.” Northumberland
National Park The development of both The Hytte and
Whitelee Farm Cottages was supported by Northumberland National Park
Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund. Other businesses to achieve Green Tourism Business grades include: Firwood Country B&B – Silver The Green Tourism Business Scheme is the largest environmental accreditation body of tourism-related businesses in Europe with over 500 members in the UK. Their inspectors carry out an environmental audit of businesses to ensure that strict criteria have been met before issuing a grading. To qualify, businesses have to undertake practical measures to reduce their impact on the environment, such as supporting the community and purchasing local and organic food. The way businesses manage their property or services, communication, energy efficiency, water savings, waste minimisation, green purchasing, transport and care for wildlife are all taken into account. Northumberland
National Park Situated
between the cities of Newcastle-Gateshead, Carlisle and Edinburgh,
Northumberland National Park is a key environmental, social and economic asset
for the surrounding areas of Northumberland, Cumbria and Southern Scotland. Northumberland
National Park Authority cares for the landscape and heritage of 405 square miles
(105,000 hectares) - over a fifth of Northumberland from Hadrian’s Wall to the
Scottish border. It
looks after more than 1100 kilometres of Rights of Way to give the public better
access to the countryside - including two national trails and a number of long
distance walking, cycling and horse riding trails. It also has in its care
31 Sites of Special Scientific Interest covering over 10,000 hectares, one
Ramsar Site; three National Nature Reserves and 6 Special Areas of Conservation. The
Authority is also responsible for dry stone wall boundaries, signs and styles,
car parks, picnic sites and visitor facilities and services. It protects the
landscape from inappropriate development; restores and conserves natural and
historical heritage features that are tourist assets to the local and regional
economy; supports sustainable enterprises; provides expertise to community
projects, runs full education and public events programmes and much more. The
continuity and accumulation of these services are what make Northumberland
National Park a North East regional treasure for the enjoyment of visitors and
residents alike. As
part of the Authority’s positive action on climate change, it has
invested with partners in a large programme to restore the Border Mires – an
important element in carbon sequestration and flood alleviation. It is
also firmly committed to reducing its own carbon footprint by 2012. To this end
it has developed an ethical procurement policy and is adapting its buildings and
practices to be increasingly sustainable. Northumberland
National Park Visitor Centres
are situated at Once Brewed on Hadrian’s Wall (Enjoy England Gold Tourism
Award 2007), at The Coquetdale Centre in Rothbury (Silver Award for Green
Business Tourism 2007) and at Ingram in the Breamish Valley, Cheviots (Best
Visitor Experience 2006). Northumberland National Park celebrated its 50th year of designation in 2006. It was also officially designated as the most tranquil place in the country in the CPRE’s Tranquillity Mapping Report. |
