QE Gateshead supported by QE Facilities has become the first organisation in the North East to receive a Gold Award for sustainable travel, after helping staff find greener ways of getting to work.
Pictured - Sarah Needham,
QE Facilities sustainability, Waste and PAM manager.
The Trust has received the Go Smarter Gold Award for providing a wide range of new travel options for employees and regularly promoting sustainable ways of travelling.
QEF's plan in Gateshead has been such a success that the NHS Trust has reduced single occupancy car journeys by more than 10% over the last 6 years with many more people now choosing to car share, walk or use public transport.
Go Smarter encourages people across the North East region (Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear) to explore and use sustainable modes of transport – including walking, cycling, public transport and car sharing – when travelling to work and school, making their journeys greener, cheaper and healthier.
This award celebrates organisations that show commitment to sustainable and smarter travel.
Sarah Needham, QE Facilities said:
“The award is a fantastic demonstration of the hard work and commitment of QEF and the NHS in Gateshead to reduce the environmental impact of our workforce and become a more sustainable organisation.
We’ve had a travel plan in place since 2001 which has had great backing from our senior staff. This has helped us introduce numerous measures including discounted public transport passes for staff, 34 long stay cycle spaces and a 66% discount in car parking permits for car sharers. It has also provided opportunities to put on some fun events like Bike Week, Dr Bike and Nordic Walking.
We are currently introducing electric car charging points into our staff car parks to help encourage more use of electric vehicles.”