A North West hotel group has been awarded an internationally recognised accolade for its approach to sustainability and eco-tourism across all its venues in the Lake District and North Lancashire.

English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues, which has been run by the Berry Family for over 60 years, has been given the Green Key international eco‐label for hotels and tourism facilities.

It is the first multi-site hotel group of its type in England to attain the status, which applies to all its venues including Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa in Windermere and the art-deco Midland Hotel in Morecambe.

The Green Key award is the leading standard for excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry. It covers hotels, hostels, small accommodations, campsites, holiday parks, conference centres, restaurants and attractions, with over 3,000 establishments holding the award worldwide.

The other venues to attain the certification are the Wild Boar Inn at Crook and Waterhead at Ambleside, following on from Lancaster House Hotel late last year.

Michelle Croukamp from English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues says:

“Each of our 4 and 5-star venues have been individually assessed on an array of environmental performance indicators.

“Green Key is an internationally recognised eco-label which fits hand in glove with our family group ethos.  We’ve been put through our paces to demonstrate our continuous improvement in green issues and environmental management.

“This has included local waste recycling, sustainable cleaning, heating policy for guest rooms and reductions in transport emissions, as well as fundraising and campaigning for environmental causes.  Our aim is to maximise environmentally friendly processes and technology to reduce use of resources.”

Green Key status is awarded each year following a standardised audit and verification process.  In England, the programme is managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

Programme manager Emma Whitlock adds: “Following on from Lancaster House’s success last year, we’re thrilled to see that all of English Lakes Hotels’ venues have attained Green Key status.  It shows that the hotel group is operating high sustainability standards aimed at reducing its overall carbon footprint.

“The Green Key scheme continues to grow in England and we want more tourism businesses to follow suit.  Reducing environmental impacts and showing how you are doing it is a key point of difference for the leisure and travel industry.”

The prestigious eco‐label represents a commitment to adhere to strict criteria set by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).  The hotel criteria are recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

The aim is to raise awareness and create behavioural changes across the tourism industry.

For further information about English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues, visit https://englishlakes.co.uk  and for Green Key, visit www.greenkey.global