Stephen Chidgey’s ‘continued commitment to the community’ has been praised by Cornwall councillor and St Columb Major mayor, Paul Wills.
Councillor Wills was visiting Mr Chidgey’s eco self-catering property, The Old Barn, Tregonetha, with local MP Steve Double, climate change consultant Luci Isaacson and Jon Meyer, owner of Elemental Gin which operates from the farm next door.
A passionate advocate of environmental protection and sustainability, Stephen has won a raft of accolades for The Old Barn – including another gold in the Self-Catering Property of the Year category of the 2017 Cornwall Tourism Awards. When he heard the local church and primary school in St Wenn were experiencing difficulties with heating, he used his expertise to come up with an ingenious solution to install a biomass boiler between the two adjacent buildings. The costs are shared and the system is proving so successful that Stephen has since been appointed sustainability and renewables advisor to the Diocese of Truro.
“It was a pleasure to visit the award winning “Old Barn” at Tregonetha with our local MP Steve Double and to see for myself the outstanding achievements of Stephen Chidgey who, through his hard work and dedication, has scooped several top awards from various key organisations connected to tourism and green energy,” Paul Wills wrote on Facebook. “Stephen also picked up an award from the “Church Times Green Church Awards 2017” for his work at St Wenn Parish Church. Many congratulations to all those involved in the church project and to Stephen for his continued commitment to the community.”
Following a tour of The Old Barn, Stephen provided lunch for his visitors.
“I’m delighted that our distinguished guests seemed genuinely impressed with everything we’ve done here and in the local area,” he said. “Sustainability isn’t just about protecting the environment, it’s also about efficiency, cost effectiveness and supporting the local economy.”