Local businesses have benefitted from a sustainable grant helping them adopt greener business practices in the Malvern Hills District.
The Sustainable Tourism Grant Scheme forms part of Malvern Hills District Council’s sustainable tourism programme which aims for the district to become a recognised green tourism destination.
The grant provides funding to be used towards expenditure that supports environmental sustainability. It also enables businesses to review and identify ways to reduce their carbon emissions and improve their impact on the environment.
Grants of between £500 – £2,500 are available to tourism and hospitality businesses within the district, the grant must be match-funded 50% from the business’s own resources.
Advice can be given for how to access other grants for projects costing over £2,500.
The scheme helps pay towards infrastructure, tools/machinery, energy audits, composters, electric car charging points, low energy hand dryers, Green Tourism Business Scheme costs, and more.
The following grants have been awarded so far this year:
- Hop Pickers Retreats – a grant to improve wildlife habitat and increase wildlife tourism opportunities
- Cannara B&B – EV charging point installed
- Treherne B&B and The Malvern Retreat – EV charging point installed
- Black Dog Adventures – An e-cargo bike for transporting equipment to reduce carbon emissions
- The Fold – EV charging points
- Ashbury Bed and Breakfast and The Dell House are both receiving a sustainable tourism grant to help reduce their energy consumption.
Hoppickers Rural Retreats were one of the organisations to receive the grant which they used for a woodland walk environmental project.
Louise Wild, from Hoppickers Rural Retreats said: “We were delighted to receive confirmation of a new sustainable tourism grant towards our woodland walk environmental project. The project included cable installation to enable live footage of local wildlife, portable wildlife cameras, night vision glasses, coppicing woodland, creating a shelter and stacking wood to encourage more bugs and bees in a natural environment. There is also a fairy door adventure trail and pond dipping equipment to encourage young active minds to be more involved with the countryside.”
Cllr Daniel Walton, Portfolio Holder for Tourism and Economic Development at Malvern Hills District Council, said: “We are really pleased this opportunity is available for our local businesses. It is a great way to improve the impact on the environment for each business and for our district as a whole.”
Victoria Carman, Visitor Economy Officer at Malvern Hills District Council said: “It’s great to see so many tourism and hospitality businesses from across the Malvern Hills district applying for a sustainable tourism grant to help improve their green credentials. I eagerly await further applications about new projects to help The Malverns become a recognised sustainable tourism destination.”
Click the button below for more information and to apply.
Pictured: Victoria Carman, Visitor Economy Officer MHDC, Louise and David Wild and their daughter Rebecca Head, Cllr Daniel Walton Portfolio Holder for Economic Development and Tourism
