A vegan bakery, a green gym and a solar company were among those rewarded for making Norwich a 'cleaner, safer and more eco friendly place to live, work and play' at a special ceremony.

A vegan bakery, a green gym and a solar company were among those rewarded for making Norwich a 'cleaner, safer and more eco-friendly place to live, work and play' at a special ceremony.

Green heroes from across the city were invited to enter the fifth annual eco awards, organised by the city council and backed by our sister paper the Evening News.

The presentation ceremony at city hall last night highlighted exemplars in environmentally friendly businesses, community groups and schools with five awards handed out by lord mayor Ralph Gayton.

He said: 'There is so much good work going on all around the city to improve the environment we live in and to spread the word about environmental issues.

'I can only applaud the activities of all the schools and organisations who have entered this year. This awards ceremony is to celebrate everything all of you have done.

'Thank you so much for all of your hard work to make Norwich an even cleaner, safer and more eco friendly place to live, work and play.

'The response this year has been the best and competition between projects has been tough. Judges were impressed by both the variety of eco-projects and the level of dedication shown across all the projects.'

The ceremony followed a reception of tea and locally produced cakes, with every entrant awarded a certificate and one trophy presented for each category.

tara.greaves@archant.co.uk

Eco small business of the year (fewer than 50 employees).

Entries were received from Eco Classrooms, U and Your Skin Lounge, Adapt Commercial, Norfolk Solar, Green Façade, Hidden Treasure and The Deerly Beloved Bakery – and it was the Deerly Beloved Bakery which triumphed.

The bakery was started by Kayleigh Read from the kitchen of her Turner Road home after she and her partner were frustrated that they could not find any new and interesting vegan cakes when they were out.

They now produce a range of vegan cakes, chocolates, truffles, pastries and biscuits and supply several cafés across the city with vegan treats including Waterstones café, St Benedicts Food Store and Biddys Tea room.

Judges were particularly impressed by the strength of the eco ethos that ran through a great many aspects of the business.

Eco large business of the year (more than 50 employees).

This was won by facilities management company Norwich Norse, based in Fifers Lane, which has implemented a comprehensive Environmental Management System and gained the independently accredited ISO 14001 certification.

In their entry, Norwich Norse said they had looked at each of their processes in order to identify ways to reduce raw material and resource use wherever possible.

As a result their successes have included reducing their energy consumption, cutting the amount of waste they produce, increasing recycling rates from 49pc to 61pc this year and training drivers to drive in a more fuel-efficient way.

Eco school of the year.

Entries were received from Heather Avenue Infant School, West Earlham Junior School, Magdalen Gates Primary School, The Open Academy and Catton Grove Primary School.

Judges chose Catton Grove Primary school in Weston Road for an impressive entry with projects involving a wide age-range of children. Part of the school ethos is to encourage children to consider the beauty of the natural world and their impact upon it.

The youngest children are encouraged to sort waste and be aware of the use of resources through switching off lights, computers and taps.

Older children have been involved in understanding habitats, where birds and animals live and planting seeds and nurturing plants as well as creating bird boxes and insect hotels. Judges particularly liked the way pupils had to negotiate with the headteacher about re-instating a pond on the school site which had previously been filled in due to repeated vandalism.

Eco community group of the year.

Entries were received from the UEA Volunteers, The Belvedere Gardening Group, Norfolk Museums and Archaeology, The Fifth Quarter, The Friends of Norwich in Bloom and Norwich Community Green Gym.

It was three cheers for the Norwich Community Green Gym, a voluntary project to involve people from all backgrounds and abilities in the benefits of working with nature.

The group works to keep a variety of different habitats around Norwich from becoming overrun by scrub and encroaching plant life.

Alongside conservation work the group offers the opportunity to make friends, join nature walks and do some exercise whilst enjoying working out in the fresh air.

Eco hero category (for which every entrant is entered).

Mr Gayton said: 'This year's eco hero has been chosen from one of our small business entries. This individual is no stranger to the Eco Awards, winning the eco small business category in 2011.

'They have proven their commitment to the eco cause over a great number of years.'

The winner was Lee Rose, of Norfolk Solar, Baines Way, Bowthorpe, who started his business in 2001 fitting solar hot water systems, photovoltaic systems and heat pumps.

Judges felt he had proven his commitment to the environment through many different ways including ethical banking, recycling, auditing the company's carbon emissions, and managing a Norfolk woodland to name but a very few.

Where practical, Mr Rose and his team will also go by bicycle to appointments and this year he has succeeded in building a solar van from scratch, teaching himself new skills along the way.

The ceremony ended with last year's eco hero, Dr Jeremy Bartlett, saying a few words about what winning meant to him before he presented the trophy to a representative of Mr Rose.