Live locally and interested in a more energy-efficient building? Look out for the September open days organised by West Berkshire Green Exchange. These buildings make a statement about energy efficiency – just like Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre, the UK’s first purpose-built sustainable conference centre.
Harriet Collins will be pleased to arrange a viewing of Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre if you are interested in booking the venue for your wedding or business event. Call Harriet on 01488 674737 today to check our availability. Alternatively if you can’t wait – visit us virtually!
UK Green Building Counciltackled a tough teambuilding challenge as part of their event at Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre.
Their challenge: create new habitat for the rare Small Blue butterfly – using chalk! Jason Ball, who devised and led the task, explained the ecology of the butterfly, which set the parameters of what the team had to achieve… in one morning session! Small Blue is one of the vulnerable wild species we wish to help here at the farm, and the UKGBC team successfully established our first major habitat area for them.
Jason said, “They funtioned very well as a team. This challenge was unfamiliar and rather difficult – but everyone pulled together, learned from each other and co-operated cleverly on all the problems they had to solve.”
“We are very grateful for to the UK Green Building Council for their hard work, and they can be proud of what they achieved.”
A fabulous place
Paul King, Chief Executive, was very keen to book their two-day team conference at the venue – which has won awards for sustainable design and management.
Paul told us, “I’ve wanted to come to Sheepdrove for some years, particularly having co-written the Little Book of One Planet Living while at WWF-UK, which featured your reedbed system.”
“It’s great to finally be here. It’s a fabulous place!”
Pay As You Save
On the same day they had a major piece of press coverage in The Guardian. UKGBC launched their Pay As You Save report, which promotes a new incentive scheme idea for property refurbishment. John Alker, Head of Advocacy, had to take calls from the media at the same time as the nature conservation work! UKGBC website…
Book your extras early
Be sure to ask us about extra activities when you call to book Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre. Our friendly staff are more than happy to talk about the array of possibilities!
Yesterday at the Eco Conference Centre, the Soil Association hosted a special seminar about one of the latest scientific studies showing that organic farm holdings support a better diversity of wild plants and animals compared to ‘conventional’ farms. This is the kind of event that feeds into policy change at a national level.
The serious setting of the rooms and facilities, however, is balanced by the inspirational location, great food and areas where people can chat and relax between sessions. Delegates met in the Beech Room, dined alfresco in the Physic Garden and took a farm walk in the summer sunshine. Butterflies danced through the grass, a skylark sang on high. Does anywhere beat this?
A tractor and trailer took everyone around the organic farm enterprise, guided by agriculture expert Faye. Spring lambs, piglets, chickens and cattle all looked wonderful in the warm sunshine. They followed the Organic Farm Tour with a Reedbed Ramble, led by our resident naturalist Jason Ball. Everyone was impressed with the reedbed, which treats all our waste water and is packed with life – today’s springtime stars being the frogs gathered to breed at the wildflife pond.
Lunch today was organic Shepherd’s Pie, or Gardener’s Pie for vegetarians, with seasonal roast root vegetables and spring leaf salad. Dessert was Lemon Pudding with cream.
What is WREN?
Advisory members, with knowledge of the the area’s environmental needs, participate in the WREN network to help ensure the best allocation of local grants. WREN receives the majority of its funding from the landfill tax levied by Waste Recycling Group.
“the best visit we have ever done” – Peter Trentham
Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre has won the prestigious ‘Green Award’ at the Event Awards 2008. Held at the London Hilton, Park Lane in London in September, the awards applaud the work carried out by event professionals from both the client and supplier sides of the industry.
The Green Award is given to companies who are able to prove that the environmental policies they implement have had a significant impact and contributed to a greener events industry. The team were also runners-up for the ‘Venue in-house Events Team of the Year Award’, a major achivement for such a small team!
Live locally and interested in a more energy-efficient building? Look out for the September open days organised by West Berkshire Green Exchange. These buildings make a statement about energy efficiency – just like Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre, the UK’s first purpose-built sustainable conference centre.
Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre 