A BED and breakfast business has donated money to a wildlife trust through its own version of a carbon-offset donation scheme.

Hidelow House Cottages, at Acton Beauchamp, between Malvern and Bromyard, last year achieved the gold award in the national Green Tourism Business Scheme.

Environmentally-minded owners Stuart and Pauline Diplock decided to go one step further and introduced a new section to its booking forms to invite guests to donate £5 to Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. The couple match every £5 donated.

Mr Diplock said: “We wanted to offer a carbon-offset for our business but wanted the money to make a difference to our local environment. We’ve been members of Worcestershire Wildlife Trust for a long time and they do such great work on their nature reserves around the county. What better way to offset our business’s emissions than by helping to conserve our local wildlife.

“The donation is entirely voluntary and we’re delighted that so many of our guests have decided to make a contribution.”

Mr and Mrs Diplock aim to make their business as sustainable as possible, using local produce for menus and local labour and materials for their buildings. They have a chemical-free site, promote recycling to their guests and have undertaken improvements in their gardens and fields to make them more wildlife-friendly.

Kate Thomas, head of resources for Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, said: “We’re delighted that Stuart and Pauline have chosen to donate this money to Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. We rely on our membership and donations to help us make a difference for wildlife throughout the county. It’s great that a local business is not just thinking green but acting green too. If we all do one extra thing to help our environment it will make a difference for us all.

“The scheme run at Hidelow Cottages fits well into our work to help wildlife overcome the effects that climate change will have. We’re working across the county to build up a network of corridors and habitats for wildlife to move through as climate change takes hold. This work is also taking place at a national level.”

More information about Hidelow House Cottages can be found on their website hidelow.co. uk. For details of Worcestershire Wildlife Trust visit worcswildlifetrust.co.uk.