Raby Castle achieves Green Tourism Award

23rd April 2024

Raby Castle has secured a significant achievement in the Green Tourism awards certification programme with a silver in recognition of the business’s commitment to sustainability.

The Green Tourism awards are acknowledged worldwide as an indicator of good environmentally-friendly practice and act as a hallmark of ‘green quality’.

Raby Castle submitted evidence across multiple criteria including its investments in renewable energy at The Rising scheme which include the Geothermal Heating Network.

In addition, the award recognises Raby’s commitment to minimising packaging and the environmental credentials of the cleaning and conservation chemicals it uses.

Raby Estate’s sustainability manager, Victoria Cadman, has worked alongside a dedicated team at the County Durham landmark to complete the award application. Victoria began her role last year after previously working as an environmental scientist with over 25 years consulting and advisory experience for private and public sector clients around the world. 

Victoria said: “We’re all incredibly pleased that we have been given a silver Green Tourism award in this assessment – it is a fantastic achievement for Raby Castle and a reflection of the hard work of the whole team.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone at Raby who has helped us along the way, in their dedication to making improvements as we continue our Green journey.

“We’re very proud of what we are achieving across the estate and following the helpful advice and feedback Green Tourism has provided, we will continue to progress and aim for gold following the opening of the Rising in late spring this year.”

By earning a Green Tourism award, businesses are demonstrating they take environmental considerations seriously and are making practical steps to tackle issues such as energy efficiency, water saving and waste reduction.

Raby Castle’s highest score was within travel, focusing on how the attraction works to mitigate and reduce the environmental impact of the travel associated with the business.

Examples included a bike to work scheme that is available for all employees and the installation of ten EV charging points as part of the new development at the castle, which will be opening in late spring.

The award follows the agreement of a sustainability strategy for the whole estate, after a three-month review of operations.

The strategy, which will underpin Raby’s future business planning, focuses on three themes – minimising its impacts, enhancing biodiversity, and investing in local communities around the estate.

Thirteen commitments have been made, from reducing Raby’s carbon footprint to supporting lifelong learning and active leisure.

High Force Hotel and Waterfall – which are both part of the Raby Estate – are also in the process of applying for the Green Tourism award to further add to the estate’s green credentials.