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Deepdale Backpackers and Camping Wins Top Tourism Prize for Sustainable Tourism

Deepdale Leisure awarded the 2009 East of England Sustainable Tourism Award.
The best that the East of England has to offer came together at the awards ceremony on the 29th of October 2009 at Ickworth Hall in Bury St. Edmunds to battle it out for awards and accolades in this year’s regional awards for Excellence. Deepdale Leisure was nominated in the category for Sustainable tourism and faced tough competition from Fairhaven Woodland and Water Gardens in South Walsingham www.fairhavengarden.co.uk/, and Pinetrees Bed and Breakfast in Suffolk www.pinetrees.net/index.htm. It is a contest that gets more difficult year upon year as businesses realize the impact that they have on the local environment and economy and take steps to maximize the positive aspects whilst minimizing the negative ones, but in a close fought contest Deepdale Leisure was the awarded the prize.
Sustainable tourism is an industry committed to making a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate income and employment for local people. The aim of sustainable tourism is to ensure that development is a positive experience for local people; tourism companies; and tourists themselves.
Deepdale Backpackers and Camping has strived to fully encapsulate this ethos into its development from the very beginning. Starting as a single camping paddock back in 1979 used only through July and August, a summer project has grown into a worthy representative of sustainable tourism.
Deepdale has in place many environmentally friendly schemes to aid in waste reduction, recycling, use of renewable energies, and water consumption reduction. Solar heating systems reduce the use of fossil fuels on a site that runs year round. Waterless urinals, and low flow taps and showers reduce the precious resource that we take for granted, and integrating local suppliers into the business where ever possible reduces fuel consumption and costs for delivery or collection whilst also increasing the business generated in the surrounding area. The development of several permissive footpaths around the local farm land has improved access for residents and tourists, as well as improves safety statistics on the local roads for walkers and cyclists.
Deepdale also runs environmental events such as our conservation weekend, and Earthday. Both are annual events which attract a lot of interest from all over the country and help to raise awareness and levels of education about global warming, the impact of fossil fuel burning, and ways that we can all help to reduce our impact on the world we live in.
“We take our responsibilities seriously here at Deepdale and know that we are an integral part of the local community and the global community. Without the support of the residents the development of Deepdale would have been much more difficult and without Deepdale, the local community would not have the same access to facilities that they do now. Globally the use of non-sustainable fuels and the use of non-recycled, imported goods is something we try very, very hard to avoid.” Said Louise Smith, the managing director. “We have been very lucky in the support we have received and we are very grateful for it.”
As winners of the East of England regional award, Deepdale Leisure is now nominated for the National Sustainable tourism award.
Last year’s winner of this prestigious award for sustainable tourism were The Venus Company, www.venuscompany.co.uk/. The Venus mission is to be the greenest beach cafe and shop operator. We will strive to minimise the harmful effects and maximise the beneficial influences which our activities have on the environment.
Here at Deepdale we hope to be worthy competitors for such an auspicious award. ‘We don't inherit the World; we borrow it from our children…At Deepdale we intend to look after it until we return it.’

For more information about Deepdale Backpackers and Camping please visit us on line at www.deepdalebackpackers.co.uk.

Thick and toastie warm....

Half of the heat we loose from our homes is through our windows and walls. We have learnt the value of double and even triple glazing for reducing heat loss and therefore heating costs, but we are still lagging behinde in our use of good quality insulation for the same task.

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Home-improvements/Home-insulation-glazing

can help you find good installers in your local area and help you to cut costs and keep youselves warm and toastie.

Drip, drip drop...

One dripping tap can waste 5,000 litres of water in a year!



Make sure when you turn off your taps, you turn them right off. If you see it drip, change the washers. They cost a few pence from the hardware sho and will save you the cost of 5,000 litres of water and the environment the cost filtering, pumping, distributing and sanitising all that wasted water.

Star light, Star bright....

Before I came to Norflk the only time I remeber seeing all the stars was in the lake district. Where the stars actually outnumber the street lights and bulbs in the houses. I remember being fascinated that there were so many more than i ever realsied. Suddenly the thought of there being an infinite number of stars had a real meaning, it wasn't just an abstract theory.

I'm waffling, I know, but I do have a point. The lights we use to light our homes, our offices, our streets, schools, hospitals and so on, use up billions of pounds in energy, billions of watts of energy and priceless resources of oil and coal which are burnt to produce the energy. All needed to make life safer and better i hear you cry - and in most instances i will agree with you. However, there is vast amounts of this light energy that is wasted. Lights left on when we go out to work for the day, because we forgot to turn it off. Lights left on in the office because no thought to turn it off. Tiny things in the realms of the time it take to affect a real change, by simply flicking a switch.

Recycling

Waste is probably one of the easiest things we can reduce, yet still one of the biggest failures of our government. Whilst steps have been taken to improve this I have to say that on the whole the facilities for recycling the waste of the nation are pitiful, collection is shocking and education is appaling!
Billions of tonnes of waste are procuded every year, but most people ae still unaware as to what they can recycle. What is suitable for a compost heap and what isn't. What can i do with my old bike? All these questions and more are things we will try to answer as we work through Deepdale's Eco-tips.

Today's top tip for reducing the aount of waste you create in your kitchen....
Buy produce from your local shop. Walk there and back, so you will only buy what you can carry. By purchasing your goods from a local source you are reducing your CO2 emissions by not using a car or public transport. You will hopefully take your own sturdy bag with you to carrry your shopping in and so reduce the amount of bags and packaging you will have to ispose of. Your support of your local shop will help to keep the shop going, therefore increasing the turnover, leading to increase in work and affluence in the local area. It also helps to create a feeling of community spirit with in the local area which has many bennefits both economical, environmental and social.

All by buying your potatoes from your local green grocer's. Simple!