Two sisters from a Lake District bistro have been flying the flag for Cumbrian sustainability at a national hotel show.
Jess Manley and Georgina Keighley-King, who help run The Yan at Broadrayne, a bistro with rooms on the edge of Grasmere village, were invited to join a Sustainability Panel at this year’s Independent Hotel Show in London.
Held at London Olympia, the two-day show attracts key people from the UK’s hospitality industry to share ideas and make new connections.
The panel, led by Sustainable Hotel News editor, Felicity Cousins, and ESG advisor and educator, Sarah Duncan, was Sustainability – how on earth to make it work.
Jess and Georgina were alongside Kai Parfitt, ESG Manager at London’s 5-star Athenaeum Hotel, who heads up a full team focusing purely on sustainability.
Georgina, operations director at The Yan, said: “The discussion mostly centred around whether size matters when it comes to sustainability.
“As a small family-run bistro with beds in a Lake District village, there’s a big difference between The Yan and a huge, very corporate, 100-plus bedroom city hotel.
“When you don’t have a lot of money and backing, or a full team of people behind you, it can be a little overwhelming to start on the path to becoming more sustainable.
“But our advice to the audience was just to go for it, start small, benchmark, monitor your progress, and celebrate every win, no matter how small it might seem. Bit by bit, you’ll soon have achieved so many small things, that they’ll equate to something much bigger.
“Sustainability shouldn’t be something that’s gate-kept. It’s not a competition – we all need to be doing it.
“So, the more you can network and research what help and support is out there; whether it’s from local sustainability groups and universities to councils and local government, every small step takes you a step closer to achieving your sustainability goals.”
The Yan’s top tips for getting started with sustainability:
- Go for it, start small, but just start with something. It could be composting food waste or switching to LED bulbs.
- Monitor your progress and give yourself a base to benchmark against.
- Celebrate every win – with your team & your customers – even if it’s just sharing it on your social media channels.
- Research and join local sustainability groups & attend sustainability events. The best advice and support comes from people who are already doing it.
- Visit other hotels/businesses that are sustainable and talk to them about their initiatives.
The Yan received the Visit England Bronze Award for Best Ethical, Responsible, and Sustainable Tourism Business’ at this year’s National Awards for Excellence.
All heating and hot water at the converted sheep farm is provided by a 100kwh biomass boiler and all electricity is supplied using hydroelectricity from the adjacent Tongue Gill Hydro, supported by solar panels around the farm.
