Small festival wins UK eco-award

The Workhouse Festival has been held annually since 2004

A small music festival in mid Wales has scooped an award for being eco-friendly along with larger events like Glastonbury and T in the Park.

The Workhouse Festival in Llanfyllin, Powys, attracts about 5,000 people every July.

It was the only event of its type in Wales to receive the Greener Festival Award 2008, one of 19 given worldwide.

It was praised for using local suppliers and power from renewable sources.

Fifteen festivals in the UK and three in Australia and one in the US have been recognised.

The Workhouse Festival is staged in support of a long-term project to renovate a Victorian workhouse in Llanfylin, and was first held in 2004.

Judges of the Greener Festival Award were impressed with the event.

Sustainable power

They said: "Workhouse prioritises local traders to reduce food miles and makes every effort to re-use or recycle materials and the festival's power is sourced from eco-tricity and from renewable sources."

The Workhouse festival was one of the first recipients of the award, which recognises organisers for promoting environmentally-friendly music events.

The award is based on a seven-part questionnaire which covers event management, travel and transport plans, CO2 emissions, fair trade, waste management and recycling, water management and noise pollution.

Points are awarded for festivals which can show an active plan to promote public transport, reduce on-site waste, recycle and compost wherever possible, re-use water and use sustainable power.

Glastonbury, the Cambridge Folk Festival and Hard Rock Calling are among the other major festivals recognised.

Glastonbury attracted more than 177,000 revellers this year.