Green for get going... deadline looms for entries to environment awards

The competition, now in its third year, recognises and celebrate the very best of the wealth of environmental work being undertaken across Yorkshire as the region moves towards a low-carbon economy.

The closing date for entries is this coming Friday, April 1, with awards up for grabs in 10 different categories.

Last year’s winners included Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate, the family-owned tea and coffee firm which scooped the coveted Best Environmental Business Award; Settle Hydro, the resident-owned green energy project in the Yorkshire Dales which clinched the Community Award; and Tom Riordan, the chief executive of development agency Yorkshire Forward, who received the individual Green Champion Award.

Ganton special School in Hull won the Young People’s Award for its stunning efforts to rebuild the school in an environmentally friendly way following the 2007 floods; while the Ragged Robin Conservation Group collected the Countryside Award for the tireless efforts of its volunteers in carrying out conservation work around the Yorkshire Dales.

Once entries for this year’s awards have closed, our panel of expert judges will get to work drawing up a shortlist of the very best contenders in each category.

They will all be invited to a glitzy awards ceremony in Leeds on May 19, where the prizes will be handed out by the host for the evening – BBC television presenter Julia Bradbury – and the evening’s keynote speaker, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman.

For more information on the criteria for each award category or to register your entry, visit our website www.yorkshirepost.co. uk and follow the Environment Awards link at the top of the page.