Bashall Eaves based Clough Bottom Farm was last week crowned Green Business of the Year 2009 at the first ever Lancashire Green Awards, held at the Barton Grange Hotel, Preston.

The organic beef farm, which is also the base for three other successful offshoots, including a corporate management training centre, award-winning holiday cottages and a thriving trees and shrubs nursery was shortlisted in two award categories – Best Recycling Project and Green Business of the Year.  Judges awarded them the honour of Green Business of the Year due to ‘the whole enterprise having sustainability at its core and a passion and commitment to green issues which is clearly demonstrated in their work’.

The awards were created to raise the awareness of better environmental performance by business and to honour those who have made a significant contribution to changing the way we live.

Commenting on winning the accolade, owner Harry Backhouse said, "We’re obviously delighted that our commitment to the environment and recycling has been recognised. Our overarching pledge to minimise our environmental impact across all our businesses is of great importance to us and the strategies that we have in place really work. Winning this award is the icing on the cake and is a great testament to the hard work that all our team has made in putting our green ethos into practice."

The farm, which is a member of the Green Tourism Business Scheme, has already this year been a finalist in the Sustainable Tourism Award category at the Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Awards 2009. This second award recognises the business’s environmental strategies, and its commitment to developing innovative recycling projects such as the onsite bio-diesel processing plant.

The plant converts waste cooking oil from local restaurants, which is cleaned and converted into bio-fuel which powers all the farm’s agricultural vehicles and generator. Not only does it fulfil their ‘green’ strategy but it helps contribute to the other local businesses waste reduction too. Visit www.cloughbottom.co.uk