Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and, this year, winners of the prestigious Northwest Business Environment Awards included architects, printers, manufacturers, a news correspondent and a zoo worker.

The 2010 prize-giving ceremony took place on Tuesday 19 October at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and was attended by 250 guests.

Trophies and certificates were presented for best environmental practice, environmental innovation, the built environment, environmental leadership, media and communications and combating climate change.

A surprise award of special recognition for Lifetime Achievement was also made by Jonathon Porritt at the start of the ceremony to Walter Menzies, Manchester-based sustainability consultant and former chief executive of the long-running Mersey Basin Campaign.

Todd Holden, director of the ENWORKS environmental business support partnership which hosted this year’s awards, said: "The event was a real success and it looks like everyone enjoyed the occasion. I’d like to congratulate our winners and runners-up who are all deserving of widespread recognition and applause for their contribution towards paving the way for a more sustainable future.

"We now look forward to seeing our North West award winners go on to compete at an international level in the European Business Awards for the Environment, where I am sure they will be strong contenders."

Steven Broomhead, chief executive at the NWDA, said: "The Northwest Business Environment Awards continue to be a big hit with regional businesses, providing a platform to showcase the best of the best.

"Congratulations to all of this year’s winners – it is great to see so many businesses from varying sectors getting behind the awards, getting involved in green operations and making a real difference to a stable and sustainable economy."

2010 winners and runners-up

Environmental Best Practice (large company):

• Winner: Diodes Zetex Semiconductors Ltd (Oldham)
• Runner-up: KME Yorkshire Ltd (Liverpool)

Environmental Best Practice (SME):

• Winner: Tullis Russell (Macclesfield)
• Runner-up: Sandcastle Waterpark (Blackpool)

Built Environment:

• Winner (over £1 million): 5 plus architects (formerly HKR Architects) - The Hive (Manchester)
• Winner (under £1 million): Studio Three Architects - The Food Hub Design Cube, St Anselm’s College (Birkenhead)
• Runner-up (over £1 million): Waterman Group with AA Projects Ltd, Taylor Young Architects and Bardsley Construction - Phase 4 Development, Loreto Sixth Form College (Manchester)

Combating Climate Change:

• Winner: The Printroom UK (Liverpool)
• Runner-up: Palace Hotel (Manchester)
• Highly commended: United Utilities (Warrington)

Environmental Innovation:

• Winner: Second Nature UK Ltd (Penrith)
• Runner-up: Flynn & Dawson Ltd (Burnley)

Environmental Champions (Media and Communications):

• Winner: Colin Sykes, BBC Northwest Tonight (Manchester)
• Runner-up: Eden Rivers Trust (Penrith)

Environmental Champions (Environmental Leadership):

• Winner: Ray Morrison, maintenance manager at Chester Zoo (Chester)

Posted 19 October 2010