Red Carpet Occasion for Green Businesses at Gold Awards

May 2, 2012 - PRLog -- Some of the most environmentally friendly businesses in the UK are to be honoured with a Green 'Oscar' at a prestigious awards ceremony this month.

A total of 53 green tourism businesses have been shortlisted for a coveted Green Tourism Business Scheme Goldstar Award to be presented at the Macdonald Holyrood Hotel in Edinburgh on May 25.

Backed by the internationally renowned Green Tourism Business Scheme the awards aim to honour those businesses and organisations that have done the most to promote sustainability within the industry by implementing cost-saving practices that help the environment, improve customer services and benefit the bottom line.

All of the finalists, which include 36 from England, 16 from Scotland and 1 from Northern Ireland, were chosen from over 2400 green tourism companies assessed for their innovation, cost savings and green ambassadorship during 2011-2012

The shortlist is divided in a number of categories:

Best Activity Centre – three nominations.
Best B&B and Guest House – 11 nominations.
Best Holiday Park and Camping Site – five nominations.
Best Conference Centre – three nominations.
Best Hostel and Bunkhouse – two nominations.
Best Hotel – nine nominations.
Best Self-Catering Accommodation – 11 nominations.
Best Visitor Attraction- nine nominations.

The Green Tourism Business Scheme is the first to be independently validated by the International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT) on behalf of VisitEngland, VisitWales and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, and endorsed by VisitScotland and Failte Ireland.

The scheme, which started in Scotland 15 years ago, is the biggest of its kind in the world with over 2,400 members and an influence that reaches from North America to New Zealand. Started by directors Jon Proctor and Andrea Nicholas with VisitScotland it provides consumers with an independent guide to hotels, bed & breakfasts, tourist attractions and visitor centres which are actively trying to help the environment.

“The GoldStar Awards are a recognition of the best of the best,” said Andrea Nicholas, Director of the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

“The Awards are intended to honour the highest GTBS achievers of the last 12 months in terms of innovation, ambassadorship and cost savings. Everyone of the shortlisted businesses are an exemplar in the promotion and practice of sustainability.”

The nominations for each category are:

Best Activity Centre:
Forest Hills, Lancaster, Lancashire; Glenmore Lodge, Aviemore, Inverness-shire; The Sustainability Centre, Petersfield, Hampsire.

Best B&B and Guest House:
Bedknobs B&B, Bodmin, Cornwall; Dowfold House, Cook, Co. Durham; Englewood B&B, Chichester, West Sussex; Nash Manor, Worthing, West Sussex; Organic Panda B&B, St.Ives, Cornwall; Pendragon Country House, Camelford, Cornwall; Rezare Farmhouse B&B, Launceston, Cornwall; Rosemundy Cottage, Devizes, Wiltshire; St Cuthbert's House, Seahouses, Northumberland; The Old Rectory, Boscastle, Cornwall; The Rumblie, Newtonmore, Inverness-shire.

Best Holiday Park and Camping Site:
Ardgartan Caravan & Camping Site, Arrochar, Argyll & Bute; Camping Caradon Touring Park, Looe, Cornwall; Cobleland Caravan & Camping Site, Aberfoyle, Stirlingshire; Hackings Caravan Park, Billington, Lancashire; Solway View Caravan & Camping Site, Kirkcudbright, Dumfriesshire.

Best Conference Centre:
Arena & Convention Centre, Liverpool, Merseyside; Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre, Glasgow; University of Edinburgh, John Macintyre Conference Centre, Edinburgh.

Best Hostel and Bunkhouse:
Cromer House Camping Barn, Weardale, Co. Durham; Deepdale Backpackers Hostel, Burnham Deepdale, Norfolk; Iona Hostel, Isle of Iona.

Best Hotel:
Base2Stay Kensington, London; Bedruthan Steps Hotel, Newquay, Cornwall; City Hotel, Derry, Co. Londonderry;  Crown Spa Hotel, Scarborough, North Yorkshire; Lancaster London, London; New Hall, St Andrews, Fife; Scarlet Hotel, Newquay, Cornwall; The Green House Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset; The Greenbank Hotel, Falmouth, Cornwall.

Best Self-Catering Accommodation:
Bleasdale Cottages, Preston, Lancashire; Bluebell Croft - self catering, Strontian, Argyll; Cranmer Country Cottages, Fakenham, Norfolk; David Russell Apartments, St Andrews, Fife; East Lochhead Cottages, Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire; Hidelow House Cottages, Beauchamp, Worcestershire; Higher Wiscombe Ltd, Colyton, Devon; Lower Gill Holidays Ltd, Tosside, Lancashire; Merlin Farm Eco Cottages, Newquay, Cornwall; Podbury's Cottage, Nr Sidmouth, Devon; The Peedie House, South Ronaldsay, Orkney.

Best Visitor Attraction:
Cream O' Galloway Dairy Co Ltd, Castle Douglas, Dumfriesshire; Fairhaven Woodland & Water Garden, Norwich, Norfolk; Killhope Lead Mining Museum, Upper Weardale, Co. Durham; La Mare Wine Estate, St Mary, Jersey; National Wildflower Centre, Liverpool, Merseyside; RSPB Vane Farm Nature Reserve, Kinross, Kinross-shire, North Berwick, East Lothian; Shepreth Wildlife Park, Shepreth, Hertfordshire; The Harbour Masters House, Kirkcaldy, Fife.

ENDS
For further information on the GTBS, the GoldStar Awards and Green Tourism Week please visit www.green-business.co.uk or  www.facebook.com/greentourismweek