A Cumbrian veterinary practice has won a national horticultural award for sustainable gardening.
Paragon Veterinary Group has become the first winner of the Royal Horticultural Society’s new national sustainable gardening award.
It is the latest in a string of green accolades for Paragon, which has developed wellbeing gardens at its surgeries in Dalston and Newbiggin.
Gardeners’ World’s Frances Tophill presented the framed certificate and trophy at the Britain in Bloom Awards at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, on Monday.
Laura Binnie, small animal vet and sustainability lead at Paragon, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that our efforts have been recognised.
“When we set out to create wellbeing gardens for our staff to enjoy, and to do it as sustainably as we could, we never thought it would go this far.”
The award recognises commitment to sustainable environmental practices in horticulture and supporting wildlife through gardening.
Paragon’s gardens feature bee and insect hotels, bird feeders, bat boxes and robin hides, plants for pollinators and long grass to suit hedgehogs.
The garden at Dalston has a bog garden and pond.
Children from St Michael’s Primary School in Dalston visit to plant trees and scatter wildflower seeds.
At Paragon’s Newbiggin site, with the help of a grant from Forestry England, a three-hectare native broadleaf woodland is being planted, reinstating hedgerows and incorporating a wildflower meadow.
Ms Binnie added: “In the veterinary profession, we’re at that unique intersection where people, planet and animals come together.
“We feel a responsibility to do something for the community, for nature and for our clients and staff, and to lessen our impact on the climate crisis.”
She travelled to Manchester for the ceremony with senior director David Black and centre manager Diane Armstrong.
The three are members of Paragon’s 15-strong ‘Green Group’ which drives its sustainability agenda.
The practice adopted a sustainability plan four years ago and aims to become carbon neutral by 2030.
Paragon’s success at Britain in Bloom follows three recent Cumbria in Bloom awards for the wellbeing gardens at Dalston and Newbiggin and the woodland at Newbiggin, while Laura was recognised as a ‘community champion’.
READ NEXT: Cumbrian vets becomes first in UK to win industry green award
Prior to that, Paragon was ‘national environment champion’ in the Investors in the Environment Awards, earning a silver ‘investors in the environment’ accreditation, and has just been audited for its iiE Green award.
The veterinary group also won ‘green veterinary practice of the year’ in the Veterinary Green Awards where Laura was joint ‘vet personality of the year’.
It is also the first practice in the UK to be rated as ‘outstanding’ under the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons environmental sustainability module and Award.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here