11/12/2018 - Permalink

Shropshire Hills AONB wins International Sustainable Tourism Award

Related topics: Leisure, culture and heritage

The Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership has won an international award for sustainable tourism from the Europarc Federation.

This is the second time that the AONB has been recognised having completed a successful, evidenced based application and passed a three-day assessment by a Europarc Federation assessor.

An image celebrating 60 years of the Shropshire Hills Area Of Natural Beauty Partnership. The Partnership have won an award for sustainable tourism for the second time.

The award recognises the work that the AONB Partnership does to support environmentally positive tourism in the Shropshire Hills.  This includes working closely with tourism bodies, businesses and communities, running the Shropshire Hills Shuttles and working with partners to manage visitors.

This award puts the Shropshire Hill AONB in a prestigious group of protected landscapes across Europe as well as the Cairngorms National Park and Norfolk Broads in the UK.

Lezley Picton, Shropshire Council Cabinet member for leisure and culture, said:

“This award for sustainable tourism is a tremendous achievement for the Shropshire Hill AONB Partnership and promotes the Shropshire Hills as a sustainable visitor destination. Congratulations to the team and all partners.”

Phil Holden, Shropshire Hills AONB manager, said:

“We would like to thank all of our partners who have worked with us to help secure this important award for the second time, including Shropshire Hills Tourism: The National Trust, Shropshire Council Outdoor Partnerships and Church Stretton Walking Festival.

“This is a big deal for the Shropshire Hills. It recognises our commitment to conserve and enhance the Shropshire Hills by promoting the best of sustainable practices.”

For more information on the Europarc Federation and Charter click here.

Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership

The Shropshire Hills AONB was designated in 1958 and covers a quarter of Shropshire. It is one of 46 AONBs in the UK which, along with National Parks, make up our finest landscapes.

The main purpose of AONB designation is to conserve and enhance natural beauty, while also taking account of economic and social needs, promoting sustainable development and meeting the demand for recreation.

The Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership co-ordinates this work, and is hosted by Shropshire Council and funded in addition by Defra, Telford & Wrekin Council and project funders.