The County Durham Environment Awards, organised by the Environment and Climate Change Partnership, recognise the great work and commitment towards caring for the natural and built environment through sustainable innovation, design and volunteering across the county’s communities and businesses. Bringing people together to build greater community engagement and encourage positive behaviours towards our precious environment.
Entries for the 2025 awards will open in the summer.
Environment Awards 2024
The 2024 Environment Awards ceremony took place on 13th February 2025 at Hardwick Hall Hotel. The winners were chosen by a panel of expert judges and young people from 45 nominations received this year and presented with their awards on the evening.
Congratulations to all of the winners:
Schools and Colleges
Nature for Wellbeing – OASES – category winner
Responding to Climate Change
The Lanchester Group – joint category winner
Road Surfacing & Cold Milling Framework – MGL Group – joint category winner
Environmental Community Action
Cotherstone Old Chapel Project – category winner
Seaham Town Council – Motion for the Ocean – highly commended
Sacriston Youth Project Forest School & Allotment – highly commended
Green Business (Small Company)
Marmax Recycled Products – category winner
Green Business (Medium Company)
The Odorbac – Durham University – highly commended
Nature in Places and Spaces
Enhancing Bio Diversity for All – Durham University – category winner
Benfieldside Community Garden – highly commended
Sustainable Built Environment
Durham University – category winner
The Rising – Raby Castle – highly commended
The Story – Durham – highly commended
Active Outdoors
Ushaw Historic House – Community Woodland Planting – category winner
Rewilding Random’s Retreat CIC – highly commended
Volunteer Group of the Year
Teesdale Special Floral Trust – joint category winner
Mammal Web – joint category winner
Make Frosterley Bloom – highly commended
Volunteer of the Year (over 18)
Peter Stout – (Patch to Plate) – joint category winner
Wendy Garland – (Building Self Belief CIC) – joint category winner
Dr Margaret Bradshaw – (Teesdale Special Floral Trust) – highly commended
Joanne Wandless – (Browney Community Association) – highly commended
Volunteer of the Year (under 18)
Kathryn McKinney – category winner
Margaret Stevenson – highly commended
Leo Hutchinson – highly commended
Congratulations to The Lanchester Group who were also awarded an Outstanding Award.