The Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust has been rewarded for its commitment to the environment by winning the New Build category at the Cornwall Sustainability Awards.

Chief Executive Paula Martin, who collected the award, said, “We at the charity are both honoured and proud to have won this category, the competition was very strong indeed this year.

“When we decided to build our new Headquarters at Newquay Cornwall Airport, a sustainable development was paramount.”

Nearly £1m in funding was secured from the ERDF Convergence programme and principle contractors Morgan Sindall were appointed.

Construction started in April 2011 and was completed in January 2012 and the charity moved the entire operation across in the February.

“We were determined to keep the running costs of this building as low as possible.” Said Paula. “The fabric of the building, passive design elements and renewable energy systems within the building all helped the building achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ for both the construction phase and the finished building.”

Part of the contract stipulated that at least 65% of the value of subcontracts and supplies went to Cornish firms. This meant that much of the money stayed in the local economy and further reduced the carbon footprint of the build.

“This isn’t the end of it.” Added Paula. “As an organisation we are more committed than ever to delivering a service that is as environmentally, economically and operationally sustainable as possible, both now and in the future.”