VERDANT HELPS WYCOMBE AND CHESHAM WIN GREEN AWARD

Sevenoaks, Kent, 12th October 2007 – Municipal services contractor Verdant Group Plc has helped two client councils in the Home Counties to win major ‘green’ awards.

Higginson Park in Marlow, owned by Wycombe District Council for whom Verdant provides grounds maintenance and street cleansing services, won its Green Flag award for the fourth year in a row, while Chesham, in the Chiltern District Council area, achieved its best-ever result in the Britain in Bloom competition with a Silver Gilt award in the Thames & Chiltern round. Verdant provides refuse, recycling and street cleansing services for 36,000 households in the Chiltern district.

A record 551 Green Flags, the national standard for parks and green spaces and a key part of government commitment to creating cleaner, greener and safer communities, were awarded this year, reflecting the renaissance of public spaces in Britain. Higginson Park is the principal open space in Marlow and its 23 acres accommodate playgrounds, catering and toilet facilities, lawns, flower beds, putting green and maze, plus riverside walks and a cricket pitch. A new play area was opened this year, a new café is under construction, and the park is currently undergoing work to alleviate the erosion caused by nearly one million visitors annually.

The Britain in Bloom award for Chesham recognised its second place in the large town category, a feat attributed by judges to extensive community involvement in tidying and brightening up the town. While the town’s open spaces, allotments and floral displays were highly praised, Chesham got its highest score for the many environmental activities making up ‘Green Chesham’, including recycling and composting schemes run by Verdant.

Verdant managing director Simon Miles said: “The Verdant crews are very proud that their professional, quality-focused service has helped secure these major awards. Everything we do for our local authority customers and their communities is aimed at reducing environmental impact and improving local environments.”

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About Verdant
Verdant Group plc, a specialist in providing a range of environmental services to local authorities in England and Wales, is fast becoming one of the most successful niche companies in this sector. The UK-owned group, which has its head office in Sevenoaks, provides a wide range of waste collection, recycling and cleansing services for an expanding local authority customer base, and estimates it makes over 20 million waste and recycling collections annually. Verdant handles recycling, refuse collection and street and beach cleansing contracts for 15 local authorities, and recent additions to its portfolio include a three year green waste recycling contract for South Oxfordshire District Council, a seven year cleansing, waste collection and recycling contract for Rother District Council, a three year green waste recycling contract for Surrey Heath Borough Council, a 12 year cleansing, waste collection and recycling contract for South Beds District Council, a seven year cleansing, refuse collection and recycling contract for Swale Borough Council, and its first business for a London borough, a six year waste collection and recycling service for Waltham Forest Council. Other current local authority customers include Melton, Anglesey, Gosport, Mid Bedfordshire, Bridgend, Chiltern, Arun, Stratford, Aylesbury Vale, Warwick and Wycombe.

For further media information, contact:

Blair Drummond, Verdant PR consultant – tel (m) 07798 686 217, email blair.drummond@btopenworld.com