Gloucestershire Archives’ Green Pledge Project shortlisted for Sustainable Project of the Year
The Green Pledge Project is Gloucestershire Archives’ commitment to becoming a more environmentally responsible service.
Through the project, the team reviewed how Archives can play a role in tackling climate change, from the way collections are stored and managed, to how the building operates, how staff and volunteers work, and how the Archives engages with local communities.
The aim was to reduce the environmental impact of the service while inspiring others to take practical steps to protect the county’s natural heritage.
During the project, which was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Gloucestershire Archives reduced the carbon footprint of its building by installing solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.
The team also shared knowledge and advice with over 7,000 people via events and talks and reached more than 61,000 people with its travelling exhibitions. Staff catalogued 12,591 environmental archives and produced research guides on environmental topics.
They collaborated with a wide range of partners including Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Voices Gloucester, the University of Gloucestershire and local libraries, museums and schools. The team also worked with the charity Project Grow and volunteers in the Heritage Hub’s community garden where over 63kg of vegetables were grown for Gloucestershire food charity, Wiggly.
The awards celebrate the best in the world of museums, galleries and cultural and heritage visitor attractions. The award ceremony to reveal the winners will take place on Wednesday 13 May at Hilton Park Lane, London.
This year’s shortlist, which includes entrants from all over the United Kingdom as well as museums and other cultural organisations in 10 other countries ranging from Malta to Australia and Spain, have been chosen by an independent panel of nine judges.
Councillor Colin Hay, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets and Transformation said: “I am delighted Gloucestershire Archives has been shortlisted for this prestigious award. The Archives team has fully embraced the County Council’s climate change strategy by examining all aspects of their service, using innovative solutions to support our collections and community engagement to improve the building and community garden.”
Photo: The ‘Pledgehog’ carved by sculptor Natasha Houseago to encourage personal climate pledges at the 2025 Cheltenham Science Festival.