Eco-minded employees of housebuilder Redrow have taken part in a 'green day' at the company's Flintshire head office in a bid to reduce their carbon footprint.

Commuters swapped their cars for alternative methods of transport and learnt how to drive more economically in a driving simulator. Staff also took part in bumblebee walks around the grounds of Redrow House at St David's Park in Ewloe to learn more about Redrow's partnership with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT).

In total the company's personnel saved a total of 765 miles of car travel by opting to car share, cycle, run, walk or use public transport to get to work, and everyone who took part was rewarded with a well-deserved breakfast sandwich upon arrival.

NW technical director Paul Sinclair was awarded the prize for 'most impressive commute' winning a Fair Trade hamper after cycling and using the train to travel 84 miles to the Ewloe office from Wigan and back, while Group sales and marketing director Dave Bexon cycled the 60 mile round trip to and from his home in Nantwich.

Colleagues also competed to find the most 'fuel efficient' drivers using a driver training simulator, with Laura Wood from Group Marketing achieving the best individual score.

Sinead Lynch, a conservation officer from the BBCT led walks around the grounds to teach employees about the importance of pollinator friendly habitats. Redrow has formed a partnership with the trust to introduce wildflower areas to its offices and developments around the country in an attempt to reverse the dramatic decline of many British bumblebee species.

Other activities to raise awareness for the environment included an eco-themed cake sale and 'best green dressed' competition. Lots of prizes were on offer throughout the day, including bird, butterfly and bat boxes, for employees who went the extra mile and took part in the day. All proceeds from the cake sale went to the company's chosen charities for the year – Hope House Children's Hospice and D.A.F.F.O.D.I.L.S.

Nicola Owen, Redrow's sustainability manager, said: “It was a fantastic day to raise awareness of the simple steps we can all take to reduce our carbon footprint and help the environment. Organised by our St David's Park 'Green Team', our aim was to get as many people involved as possible. Every member of staff arrived to a pack of wildflower seeds and Fairtrade Green Tea on their desk and everyone who left their car at home for the day was entered into a raffle to win a prize donated by one of our generous suppliers.”

For more information on BBCT visit www.bumblebeeconservation.org  

To find out more about Redrow and sustainability visit www.redrow.co.uk / www.redrowplc.co.uk 

Photo captions

1-      Leading the bumblebee walk around Redrow House is Sinead Lynch of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust with Paul Burns and Anna Hughes, both members of Redrow's green team.

2-      The Green Team. Top row (L-R) Sandra Grant, Cait Grady, Anna Hughes and Lauren James. Bottom row (L-R) Paul Burns and Nicola Owen.

3-      Carole Davies tries out the driver training simulator to learn fuel efficient driving techniques

4-      One of the winners - a vegetable patch cake 

Editor's footnote:  Established more than 40 years, Redrow Homes is one of the UK's leading house builders, operating across England and Wales, with a strong emphasis on high quality family housing in prime locations. Its Heritage Collection of family homes combines traditional looking, 'Arts & Crafts' influenced exteriors with bright, modern, high specification interiors. The company has won numerous awards over the years, including, most recently, the Gold Award for Best Large Housebuilder at the WhatHouse? Awards 2014, the 2014 Building Awards Housebuilder of the Year and five consecutive 5* awards in the Home Builder Federation (HBF) annual customer satisfaction survey. Redrow also collected the award for best marketing initiative at the 2014 Housebuilder Awards and its 'My Redrow' online tool won the overall Customer Engagement category at the 2013 Peer Awards for Excellence. 

Web: www.redrow.co.uk.

Issued for & on behalf of Redrow Homes (Group) by Active PR. Press information from Kate Logan, tel: 07545 504 053, email: katelogan@activepr.co.uk.