As a business which is based on helping its guests connect with the beauty of the natural world, Long Valley Yurts is a fitting winner of the year’s Best Green/Ethical Business award.

Long Valley Yurts, owned by Maddy and Richard Coulter, has been in operation since 2008.

It offers luxury glamping holidays to families, groups and couples looking to disconnect from all the stresses in life and reconnect with each other face to face.

Long Valley Yurts is one of the early pioneers of glamping and is now one of the largest independent glamping companies in the country.

It works with farms, landowners and campsites across the county to offer a sustainable secondary income.

The business is accredited with the Silver Green Tourism Award and has made a number of decisions to increase its sustainable credentials.

This includes changing its hot tub manufacturer to improve efficiency regarding reducing the amount of water required to fill the tub and using less fuel to heat the water. It also uses minimum levels of chlorine.

Other activities include partnerships across the county to encourage low carbon activities and to provide guests with locally sourced hampers showcasing Lake District produce.

It has partnered with Wild Guides publishing to showcase the diversity of opportunities available to guests and to help minimise pressure on tourist hot spots and encourage car free activities that guests can participate in straight from the door.

Other initiatives involve reducing waste wherever possible and avoiding sending anything to landfill. It is also looking into involving guests in full carbon accounting for the business to manage its impact, as well as setting up a fund with Cumbria Community Foundation to support social, environmental and educational projects.

The in-Cumbria judges said: “The company demonstrates an embedded culture of sustainability with extreme passion from its leadership.

“Their collaborative approach to working with partners shone through and specifically in their outward approach to the sustainability agenda of working with their supply chain and their interaction with major stakeholders such as the National Trust, Woodland Trust, and universities.”

John Maddy, who received the award with Richard Coulter, both from Long Valley Yurts told the audience: “For us as a company we are getting recognition and the team are also getting the recognition for all their hard work. It’s brilliant. We are trying to change the narrative of green tourism and promoting green sustainability.”

Runners up:

Buildabundle Ltd

Morgan Sindall Infrastructure