Broadway Manor Cottages receives a Silver Award from the Green Tourism Business Scheme
Broadway, Worcestershire, 14th December 2009
Broadway Manor Cottages is the first self catering holiday cottage business in Worcestershire to be awarded a prestigious SILVER grading by the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) reflecting their dedication to sustainability and green tourism.
The GTBS is the UK’s leading green tourism certification scheme which recognises and rates businesses demonstrating high levels of commitment to protecting the environment and promoting sustainability with Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. The GTBS is now recognised by UK Government as a crucial part of its drive towards sustainability. Businesses are graded by a qualified assessor against over 150 separate measures of best practice, covering energy and water efficiency, waste management, bio diversity and more.
Broadway Manor Cottages, which has only been in business since October 2006, has managed to bring all of its five holiday properties up to the GTBS Silver standard which is awarded to businesses showing very good environmental practice. By agreeing to the GTBS Code of Conduct Broadway Manor Cottages has made a commitment towards reducing the impact of their business on the environment.
“We are very proud of our achievement which follows on from our successful completion of the VisitBritain Green Start scheme last year. We are dedicated to making our cottages and apartment some of the most environmentally friendly places to stay in Worcestershire and the Cotswolds.” said Debbie Williamson, owner of Broadway Manor Cottages.
The 4 star Cotswold holiday cottages and apartment are located in the grounds of a Cotswold Manor House dating back to the 16th century a short walk from the centre of the Broadway. The surrounding grounds attract a wide variety of wildlife and guests are encouraged to shop locally and to leave the car behind and ‘Enjoy a Car Free Day’ as a number of footpaths, including The Cotswold Way National Trail cross the grounds.
“We closely monitor our water and energy usage and have recently installed solar power panels to heat some of the water used on site and have increased our loft insulation across all of our properties. We encourage our guests to recycle and compost and provide our guests with jute shopping bags to take shopping rather than use plastic bags. We will continue to look at other ways to reduce the environmental impact or our business such as the introduction of LED lighting and we hope to join a local Visitor Payback Scheme.” explained Debbie Williamson.
The Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards 2009 celebrates the cream of the West Midlands’ tourism industry. The annual awards were announced at a ceremony at Birmingham’s ICC on 29th October 2009 hosted by BBC presenters Suzanne Virdee and Nick Owen.