Paragon Veterinary Group has become the first winner of the Royal Horticultural Society’s new national Sustainable Gardening Award.

It is the latest in a string of green accolades for Paragon, which has developed wellbeing gardens at its surgeries in Dalston and Newbiggin.

Gardeners’ World’s Frances Tophill presented the framed certificate and trophy at the Britain in Bloom Awards at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester.

Laura Binnie, small animal vet and sustainability lead at Paragon, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that our efforts have been recognised.

“When we set out to create wellbeing gardens for our staff to enjoy, and to do it as sustainably as we could, we never thought it would go this far.”

The award recognises commitment to sustainable environmental practices in horticulture and supporting wildlife through gardening.

Paragon’s gardens feature bee and insect hotels, bird feeders, bat boxes and robin hides, plants for pollinators and long grass to suit hedgehogs.

The garden at Dalston has a bog garden and pond. Children from St Michael’s Primary School visit to plant trees and scatter wildflower seeds.

Paragon’s most ambitious project is at Newbiggin where, with the help of a grant from Forestry England, it is planting a three-hectare native broadleaf woodland, reinstating hedgerows and incorporating a wildflower meadow.

It is rare for a Britain in Bloom award to go to a business, rather than a community or charity, but Paragon puts great emphasis on sustainability.

Laura added: “In the veterinary profession, we’re at that unique intersection where people, planet and animals come together.

“We feel a responsibility to do something for the community, for nature and for our clients and staff, and to lessen our impact on the climate crisis.”

She travelled to Manchester for the ceremony with senior director David Black and centre manager Diane Armstrong.

The three are members of Paragon’s 15-strong ‘Green Group’ which drives its sustainability agenda. The practice adopted a sustainability plan four years ago and aims to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Paragon’s success at Britain in Bloom follows three recent Cumbria in Bloom awards for the wellbeing gardens at Dalston and Newbiggin and the woodland at Newbiggin, while Laura was recognised as a ‘community champion’.

Prior to that, Paragon was ‘national environment champion’ in the Investors in the Environment Awards, earning a silver ‘investors in the environment’ accreditation, and has just been audited for its iiE Green award.

The veterinary group also won ‘green veterinary practice of the year’ in the Veterinary Green Awards where Laura was joint ‘vet personality of the year’.

It is also the first practice in the UK to be rated as ‘outstanding’ under the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons environmental sustainability module and Award.

Paragon has small animal, equine, farm and advanced breeding divisions. Find out more about the practice, and its award-winning environmental initiatives, visit their website here