A TOP award for environment best practice has been presented to Pendle Council.

The local authority was a gold award winner in the International Green Apple scheme. The trophy was presented to council officers by actress and singer Toyah Wilcox at a ceremony in London and is now in the members' room at Nelson Town Hall.

It was awarded in recognition of the council's "Our Place: Our Pendle" campaign which judges said formed a vital part of part of Pendle Council's far-reaching environmental activities.

"Our Place: Our Pendle" was a series of roadshows designed to discover how residents would like to improve their quality of life while at the same time gathering information for Local Agenda 21 to meet the government's pledge to protect the planet made at the Earth Summit in Rio.

Judges said a fun element proved to be particularly productive in the nine roadshows and with a large-scale map enabling residents to literally pinpoint problem areas by sticking pins into all the blackspots that needed attention.

The Green Apple awards are presented by The Green Organisation supported by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and The Municipal Journal.

Coun Frank Clifford, who was chairman of Pendle's Services Committee at the time of the campaign, said: "It is always good news to receive an award. I was advised by my granny never to bite into green apples because they could give you stomach-ache but this one is to be welcomed. It is in recognition of the efforts made by officers, councillors and the people of Pendle."

The initiative was the widest consultation exercise carried out by the council and represented the ideas, fears and hopes of nearly 1,000 local people.

Pendle is the only council in the North West to take the innovative approach of launching the plan on a CD Rom in a bid to influence other key decision makers to make Pendle's people's vision a reality.

Chief executive Stephen Barnes said at the time the plan has taken them from Rio to Blacko and that they were sitting up and taking notice of the concerns by local people about pollution, safe, fresh food, public transport and recycling.

Their sustainability action plan included

design of new environmentally friendly buildings

cutting down on car use

tougher fines on polluters

new conservation areas to preserve Pendle's heritage

rapid expansion of recycling initiatives

saving energy and cutting fuel bills

supporting local growers through farmers' markets, food co-ops and by providing fresh food for OAP luncheon clubs.