18 November 2021
Northampton Partnership Homes wins environmental award
An initiative to help Northamptonshire Partnership Homes residents care for the environment and their local wildlife and begin growing their own food has won a prestigious environmental award.
The Silver Green Apple Environment Award was presented this week to NPH’s Anna Thorpe, Resident Involvement Officer, and Paul Tucker, Sustainability Manager, at a carbon neutral ceremony.
The awards are organised by The Green Organisation. Launched in 1994, they have become a coveted accolade for businesses who can demonstrate environmental best practice.
NPH’s project was split into three deliveries of wildlife habitat support, trees, cultivation tools and seeds over three seasons. During the autumn hedgehog houses, bug hotels, bird feeders and nesting boxes were handed out so that residents could begin supporting local biodiversity and encourage local children to take an active interest in nature.
In winter residents were given a variety of small trees to plant, each chosen for their colour, interest for wildlife or potential fruit. Some were donated to local schools to benefit children who don’t have a garden at home.
Growing kits arrived in spring and included compost, seeds and tools to help residents grow food even in the smallest places.
One resident captured a picture of the little visitor who arrived in her garden after she installed one of the hedgehog houses and has now become a regular visitor. The resident wrote a note to the sustainability team to say, “I have been feeding this baby hedgehog, she comes every night for her food. We have called her Muffin.”
Paul Tucker, NPH Sustainability Manager, said: “We were blown away with how popular this project was;
all of the items were snapped up really quickly and up really quickly and we’ve had lots of really positive feedback.
“It’s been great to see photos and hear about the progress made, and we’re excited to be building a community of sustainability champions as a result of this project. They’ll help shape our environmental and sustainability activities and policies, which will be really positive for our local community and Northampton as a whole.
“We’re absolutely delighted that the nature project has been recognised for this national award.”
Earlier this year, NPH’s commitment to the green agenda was recognised when it was awarded 12th place in the UK’s top 30 sustainable housing providers by Housing Digital. The judges recognise housing managers who have made exceptional efforts to improve the sustainability of their stock and their organisation, and to actively communicate with staff and residents to keep them engaged every step of the way.
“Sustainability is high on NPH’s agenda, and we know that many of our residents share our commitment to improving the environment but can find it difficult to get started for a variety of reasons,” said Paul Tucker.
“This project has allowed us to help more people reconnect with nature and experience the many benefits it can have for health and wellbeing.”
To find out more about NPH’s sustainability commitments, go to www.nph.org.uk/sustainability