JUDGING is under way to find out the county’s best rural-friendly businesses and projects.

Environmental projects have been shortlisted in four categories for this year’s CPRE Hampshire Countryside Awards, which recognise the achievements of businesses supporting the countryside.

Judges of the community and voluntary category of the awards visited Roundabout Cafe in Southampton, and other hopeful projects last week.

Blackwood Forest Holidays in Winchester is hopeful of scooping the rural enterprise gong and judges will visit Ringwood Grow Wild, Kings Worthy Primary School, and Ballard Watergardens in the New Forest, for the youth category.

Westgate house in Stockbridge, Avon Tyrell Boat House in the New Forest, Otterbourne OWL school meadow project, and Breamore Halt in the New Forest will battle it out in the green buildings category.

The nominees will find out if they have won at the awards ceremony at Itchen Abbas Village Hall on September 26.

Winners will receive an engraved plaque, to be presented by Winchester MP Steve Brine.

Michael Rescorle, director of CPRE Hampshire, said: “We would like to wish good luck to all of the participants in the Countryside Awards this year.

“The quality and diversity of the entries we have received has been inspirational.

“Our judging teams, made up of CPRE Hampshire volunteers and our partner organisations, are very impressed by what they have seen so far, and are looking forward to other visits in the coming few weeks.”

SHORTLISTED BUSINESSES:

Rural Enterprise

The Southwick Fly Tip Project.

Food Development (Brokerage) HC3S (Hampshire County Council Catering Services).

Local Food Project at Highbury College, Portsmouth.

Blackwood Forest Holidays, Winchester.

Space qube (county-wide, currently in Basingstoke).

 

Youth

Ringwood Grow Wild (Ringwood School, New Forest).

Anstey Junior School Community Growing Project, Alton.

Kings Worthy Primary School gardening project, Winchester.

Ballard Watergardens – New Forest.

 

Green Buildings

Oaks Crematorium, Havant.

Westgate House – Stockbridge, in the Test Valley.

Avon Tyrell Boat House, New Forest.

Otterbourne OWL school meadow project, Winchester.

Breamore Halt, New Forest.

 

Community and Voluntary

Havant Cemeteries Project.

Roundabout Cafe, Southampton.

Brook Meadow Nature Reserve, East Hampshire.

Old Down and Beggarwood Meadow Restoration, Basingstoke.