Local environmentalists honoured as champions at council’s first awards ceremony

Projects and individuals that protected and enhanced the local environment, encouraged sustainability or reduced waste were celebrated and praised by the council at Watersmeet Theatre on Thursday 4 June.

Councillors, council officers, community leaders, and award finalists all attended the event. The award finalists were selected by a panel of independent judges from community and environmental organisations.

The Young Environmental Champion Award was won by Royal Masonic School’s Student Eco Committee for showing outstanding commitment to environmental action through a range of inspiring student-led sustainability projects. Students have independently organised community litter picks, cultivated and planted oak trees across the school grounds, and maintained on-site beehives to promote awareness of biodiversity among students and staff. The school has also taken part in the River Chess Association’s “Trout in the Classroom” project, helping to raise and release young trout to support local biodiversity, while collaborating with Southampton University on a climate change research project investigating the growth of different legume species in changing environmental conditions.

The Community Environmental Champion Award was presented to the Friends of Stocker’s Lake for their long-standing commitment to protect Stockers Lake Nature Reserve’s wildlife and encourage public engagement with nature. Founded in 1990, Friends of Stockers Lake and their 700+ members have organised monthly volunteer work parties carrying out habitat management, litter clearance, path repairs and ecological surveys, while also promoting public engagement through guided walks, educational events and wildlife monitoring. The group has funded meadow restoration projects, tree planting and nesting rafts for Common Terns, helping to boost biodiversity and support climate resilience through habitat restoration.

Highly Commended Community Environmental Champions:

· Croxley Green Repair Café volunteers – for their pioneering work creating Three Rivers’ first Repair Café, helping to reduce waste, promote repair and reuse, and support residents to learn practical sustainability skills.

· ASCEND’s Dig Deep Community Allotment – for their community-centred gardening and wellbeing project that includes people of all backgrounds and abilities in promoting sustainability, biodiversity, organic food growing, waste reduction and environmental education.

· Pumpkin’s Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre Outreach Team – for their excellent work inspiring people across the district to protect local wildlife through free educational workshops, environmental action projects and community engagement initiatives that promote biodiversity, conservation and long-term environmental stewardship.

· Sustainable Three Rivers – for their inspiring work transforming Rickmansworth Community Garden into a thriving hub for sustainability, biodiversity and wellbeing, engaging residents of all ages in environmental education and wildlife-friendly, climate-resilient gardening.

· Woodoaks Farm – for spearheading community-led environmental restoration by engaging hundreds of volunteers in habitat creation, biodiversity projects, organic food growing and environmental education while reconnecting people of all ages and backgrounds with nature and local landscapes.

The Adult Environmental Champion Award was won by Tony Booker (not pictured above) for his exceptional and sustained contribution to protecting and restoring the district’s precious local chalk streams. As Chair of Colne Valley Fisheries and Conservation, Tony has shown exceptional environmental leadership across the Colne Valley and Three Rivers district through decades of work improving river health, tackling pollution, restoring biodiversity, leading scientific research into water contamination, coordinating large-scale conservation projects, and developing innovative recycling initiatives that promote long-term ecological recovery and community action.

Highly Commended Adult Environmental Champions:

· Flo Garvey – for her remarkable work leading a range of community sustainability initiatives including organic food growing, composting and soil regeneration projects, educational outreach in schools, fundraising fitness sessions, and the development of community orchards and zero-waste food ventures, all aimed at improving environmental health, reducing waste, and strengthening community wellbeing.

· Norah McLoughlin – for her crucial work leading Save Three Rivers Swifts; a small volunteer-led initiative dedicated to protecting the endangered swift population by raising awareness, promoting nest site protection and installation, and working with residents and community partners to create and restore nesting habitats across the district.

· Sue Quelch – for her impactful work promoting global conservation efforts and sustainable living to thousands of people through communications including a successful blog ‘Sue Q’s World’, filmmaking, advocacy and community engagement.

Everyone Active’s William Penn Leisure Centre was crowned the Business Environmental Champion Award for their comprehensive colleague- and community-led programme focused on reducing waste, improving sustainability, and supporting emissions reductions through environmental education, partnerships and operational changes such as renewable energy installation, LED lighting upgrades, recycling schemes, and reduced plastic use, while also engaging the local community through events and behaviour change campaigns.

Highly Commended Business Environmental Champions:

· Begin Again – for creating ethical, low-waste home fragrance products using responsibly sourced ingredients, while promoting reuse and refill systems and consumer education to encourage more conscious, circular consumption habits.

· Chime Housing (formerly Watford Community Housing) – for their efforts to engage staff, partners and tenants in local nature protection initiatives including tree planting, habitat creation, rewilding, recycling education and community engagement, delivering lasting environmental improvements.

Cllr Aidan Bentley, Lead Member for Climate Change and Sustainability, said: “Environmental issues can often seem daunting, something too big to tackle, but every person, group and business recognised at the awards ceremony demonstrates how local action can create meaningful change. It is inspiring to see so much passion in one room.

“Everyone who applied – whether you won or not – should be incredibly proud of their contributions. All these contributions add up. The council is deeply grateful for all the volunteers, students, business and organisations who help to make Three Rivers a cleaner, greener and more sustainable place to be.”

The awards ceremony was followed by a special free film screening of ‘Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision’ in honour of Great Big Green Week which explored King Charles III's personal journey as an environmentalist throughout his lifetime and encourages us to see the interconnectedness of humanity and nature.