Green turns to gold at Ribby Hall Village

Five-star Lancashire Holiday Village Ribby Hall Village gains gold accreditation from the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

Ribby Hall Village is delighted to announce that it has been awarded Gold status from the Green Tourism Business Scheme. The Green Tourism Business Scheme is a Visit England initiative that monitors businesses and their sustainability. To achieve gold status a business needs to adhere to a strict 60-point checklist and undergo a thorough on-site inspection and audit.

Ribby Hall Village is Lancashire’s only multi-award-winning, five-star holiday village – just ten minutes’ drive from the beaches of Blackpool and Lytham St. Anne’s. Accommodation is offered in 175 self-catering cottages, six pine lodges, three large luxury self-catering properties in their own grounds, and The Spa Hotel and health club. Ribby Hall Village considers sustainability and the environment a priority and business is conducted with consideration to environmental factors.

To achieve accreditation from the Green Tourism Business Scheme, businesses need to apply for an assessment. An audit is carried out across the business where all aspects from Management to waste minimisation are scored. Ribby Hall Village scored highly throughout the report with recycling graded as outstanding and monitoring of energy, water and waste as very good. The Village also scored highly within procurement where Fairtrade is supported and the use of local suppliers throughout all levels of the business from local free range eggs to ethically-sourced washing-up-liquid. Throughout the report Ribby Hall Village is highly commended on its installations with energy efficient boilers and LED lights.

The overall summary from the assessor Jon Proctor describes Ribby Hall Village as “an excellent self-catering complex which is well managed and maintained.”

Jon also went on to commend Ribby Hall Village on the commitment of the team at Ribby Hall Village and the passion shown by employees to the business and its sustainability initiatives. Jon commented “Ribby Hall Village is a prime example of how attitude is the key in achieving a greener environment. Employees at Ribby Hall Village actually care about their business and this is evident in The Village’s approach to environmental matters. Every new initiative is carefully considered as to how it will improve a guests experience whilst minimising environmental impact. Spending time with the team at Ribby Hall Village whilst conducting the audit I felt the personal passion of each individual in making The Village the best it can be whilst considering environmental factors.”

“Ribby Hall Village is a real green leader for tourism in Lancashire and for the Holiday Park Industry as a whole. The business is one of the first to implement

I think we can definitely say you are one of the first to implement version 5 and are a real green leader for the industry in Lancashire and for the Holiday park industry as a whole.”

Ribby Hall Village’s Senior Manager Diane Cottam, responsible for the green accreditation, is delighted with this recognition: “Being awarded Gold status in the Green Tourism Business Scheme is a wonderful accolade for Ribby Hall Village and its employees. We continue to be mindful in all aspects of the business where we can limit demands on the environment. Green accreditation is a true source of pride for the entire team. There is no greater accolade than being recognised as a “green business” and is demonstrative of Ribby Hall Village’s considered approach with the business, environment and its guests. This is a remarkable vote of confidence to our business and our continued commitment to excellence.”

Diane continues: “Sustainable tourism is a benchmark for Ribby Hall Village. Whilst we want to continue to improve our facilities and services for our guests we also wish to be mindful of the impact tourism has on the environment. If the Village can put the basics in place then holidaymakers can be encouraged to be more mindful about the environment whilst holidaying. This accreditation is testament to the whole team at Ribby Hall Village and the commitment that is considered within every aspect of the business. From senior management to part-time employees every effort is made to make The Village as environmentally friendly as possible. As a business we continue to consider ways we can minimise environmental impacts and we are constantly looking at new opportunities for improvement.”

Ribby Hall Village scored highly within all elements of the audit but the highest ranking section, that of management, demonstrates the environmental commitment that is embedded within the business’ culture. From a management perspective the commitment to sustainability comes from the highest level with policies and strategies in place, and there are plans across the whole business to support sustainable tourism initiatives. With such a commitment from management, staff are keen to follow procedures and adhere to The Village’s ‘green’ objectives.

The report from The Green Tourism Business Scheme details throughout, Ribby Hall Village’s commitment to sustainable tourism and the environment. Scoring over 80% across all areas, The Village is recognized as ‘gold level’ in most aspects of business. The report recognises the way the tranquil village feeling of Ribby is maintained whilst offering customer focused and environmentally friendly facilities. To be recognized as ‘green’ by Visit England sits alongside Ribby Hall Village’s plethora of accolades including five-star accreditation from Visit England and TripAdvisor Hall of Fame status. The Village has also received The Sword of Honour for Health and Safety amongst various other awards recognizing the business’ commitment across all aspects.

This is the third time Ribby Hall Village has been accredited by Visit England for it’s Green Tourism initiatives and the second time it has reached gold status. However Ribby Hall Village is never happy resting on its’ laurels of previous awards and the business is already undertaking measures to improve its offerings across all levels of business both in terms of facilities and sustainability. Ribby Hall Village continues to develop and all new initiatives are introduced with environmental issues being considered. For 2017 new accessible walks are planned and cycle storage to be implemented at each unit. There are also plans to develop healthy eating initiatives, natural wildlife areas alongside the improved accessible walks.

The Green Tourism Business Scheme has been in existence for 15 years. The scheme was set up by Visit England to assess holiday properties and is the largest sustainable certification programme of its kind. Companies apply for accreditation and only a handful manage to reach gold status with the business needing to mark over 80% on all aspects of the audit. Ribby Hall Village is the only holiday village in Lancashire to receive gold accreditation and this is indicative of the way business is conducted at Ribby Hall Village and the dedication and commitment of management and staff.