Fact:

The 2006 Business Award winners were:

Marine: Johnson Seafarms
Rural: James and Carole Fisher
Urban: Viridor Waste Management

Business Awards 2006

The Inaugural Awards

In 2006 The Crown Estate announced the winners of a new, company-wide Business Awards scheme designed to recognise excellence in business performance, innovation, environmental care and sustainability. These areas complement The Crown Estate’s core values of commercialism, integrity and stewardship.

The awards operate in each of our business areas – marine, rural and urban - demonstrating our ongoing commitment to encouraging the development of successful, innovative and sustainable business.

Marine Business Award 2006

The Crown Estate is delighted to announce the winners of a new, company-wide Business Awards scheme designed to recognise excellence in business performance, innovation, environmental care and sustainability. These areas complement The Crown Estate’s core values of commercialism, integrity and stewardship.

The awards operate in each of The Crown Estate’s business areas – marine, rural and urban - and demonstrate our ongoing commitment to encouraging the development of successful, innovative and sustainable business.

The Marine Business Award winner is Johnson Seafarms based in Vidlin, Shetland.

Having more than twenty years experience in aquaculture, Johnson Seafarms have established an unrivalled reputation for product quality backed by sound management systems, forward thinking and technical innovation.

For over two decades Johnson’s farmed salmon has been recognised as premium grade. They were amongst the first in the world to produce farmed cod on a commercial scale and their farmed mussels have quickly found ready buyers across Europe.

The judges were particularly impressed with how the company, in the middle of very difficult trading conditions, managed to raise £21m of private equity funding to diversify from salmon farming into farming organic cod.

The launch of Johnson Seafarms’ own unique brand, ‘No Catch…Just Cod’, has done much to raise the profile of marine fish farming in a positive manner and has established a high end market position for their product.

Their pioneering strategy aims to make all Johnson Seafarms produce organic, including mussels and sea trout. The company has done much to raise the profile of marine fish farming in a positive manner, through the development of a unique brand.

Rob Hastings, Director of the Marine Estate at The Crown Estate and one of the judges for the Marine Business Award, said, “I am delighted that Johnson Seafarms have won the Marine Business Award for 2006. The company maintains a strong focus on sustainability, the environment, fish welfare and invests significant sums in research and development for the future which is highly commendable in today’s climate.”

Rural Business Awards 2006

The Rural Business Award has been won by James and Carole Fisher of Newton House Farm on the Bingham Estate in Nottinghamshire.

The Fishers farm just over 370 hectares (920 acres) of predominantly arable land bordering the village of Newton. The Fisher family have been tenants of The Crown Estate since it purchased the estate in 1937.

The Fishers have been keen to ensure the continuous improvement and development of their business seeking opportunities for growth. The farm business has specialised in arable cropping and son Adam is responsible for managing and developing day-to-day operations.

In addition, the business has developed new enterprises including an equestrian business now regarded as one of the best training facilities in the Midlands. Their Christmas tree business now sells over 1000 trees every year.

The Fishers have always farmed in an environmentally sensitive manner, maintaining strips alongside water-courses to prevent pollution and maintain wildlife diversity. They have worked with The Crown Estate to establish woodland plantations and water features on the farm and have introduced owl boxes which have successfully increased the owl population.

The family is highly regarded in the local community. James has been a Parish Councillor for over 25 years and the farm also hosts a number of social and charitable events alongside educational visits.

The judges were highly impressed by the family’s team approach and the ways in which they all played to their strengths, Christopher Bourchier, Director of the Rural Estate at The Crown Estate, and one of the judges of the Rural Business Award, said, “The Fishers’ involvement in the community in general and the efforts that are made to ensure a good local understanding of rural issues in particular are outstanding.”

Urban Business Award 2006

The Urban Business Award has been awarded to Viridor Waste Management for their landfill and recycling business in Taunton, Somerset.

Occupying 28 hectares on the Priorswood estate in Taunton, Viridor Waste Management have worked with The Crown Estate to redevelop an old landfill site into a modern household waste recycling centre and materials recycling facility.

The household waste site is now used by up to 1000 members of the public each day and recycles over 25 types of household waste. Materials such as paper, card, wood and metal are recycled and tonnages recovered have risen from 15,000 tonnes per annum to over 30,000 tonnes per annum with the construction of the new materials recycling facility.

There are future plans to undertake significant works on the ex-landfilled area in order to create a recreational open space or community woodland on an area of open land on the site.

Viridor has decades of experience in the waste industry, having begun operating in Taunton in 1956 providing a tanker transport service to customers in the South West.

Giles Clarke, Director of Investment and Asset Management at The Crown Estate, and one of the judges of the Urban Business Award, said, “The judges were highly impressed by Viridor’s commitment to deliver improved recycling facilities at the Priorswood Estate while addressing issues of noise pollution and traffic congestion by locating the new facility to the south of the site away from the perimeter overlooking the canal and houses.”

The company’s engagement with other stakeholders and the efforts made to ensure that the new recycling facility not only met their businesses needs, but also those of their neighbours was deemed to be particularly commendable.

Pete Daniel, Development Manager with Viridor in Somerset, said, “It is a fantastic reward for the work we have done at Priorswood. We worked hard, in conjunction with local people, to come up with a scheme that would benefit the community and we are delighted that has been recognised in such a high profile way.”