A family business in Stratford-upon-Avon which runs guided day tours of the Cotswolds has won an eco-competition launched by Shakespeare’s England. Earlier in the year, the regional Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for South Warwickshire ran a competition for its members to mark Global Recycling Day inviting them to share recycling initiatives.
Founders of Go Cotswolds, Lisa and Tom Benjamin have been announced as winners and been treated to their prize – an evening meal at The Mount in Henley-in-Arden, run by Birmingham-based Michelin-star chef Glynn Purnell.
Go Cotswolds’ winning entry was a new professionally designed and printed keepsake booklet for their Cotswolds in a Day tour with a map, high-quality photographs and tour information printed on recycled paper. The new booklet uses less paper than the previous hand-drawn maps, and a more efficient printing process.
Lisa said, “As well as being handy during the tour, they are also a souvenir and therefore much less likely – we hope! – to be thrown away by customers after the tour. If customers do not want to keep their booklets, we will try to reuse them where possible, and recycle them where not.
“We were very fortunate to be able to produce these thanks to Luddington-based graphic design company Design Penguin and an Adapt and Diversify Covid-19 Recovery and Investment grant from Warwickshire County Council.
“Hopefully one day, we will be in a position to create interactive digital maps and remove the need for paper versions completely, but as a small business we are doing what we can with the resources we have.”
Lauren Wallace at The Mount, Henley-in-Arden said, “We loved hosting Tom and Lisa to celebrate them winning the Shakespeare’s England Recycling Day competition. It is great to see a local independent business winning this prize and we hope they thoroughly enjoyed their meal.”
The competition was launched as part of a bigger strategy unveiled by the not-for-profit tourism organisation in March to help South Warwickshire and the surrounding areas become a Green Tourism Destination.
Helen Peters, Chief Executive of Shakespeare’s England said, “We loved Go Cotswolds’ competition entry which perfectly fit the brief for Global Recycling Day and are thrilled Lisa and Tom enjoyed their dinner at one of Warwickshire’s hottest new dining spots.”
