Susie Tomson, PCSG’s Sustainability Director, was Land Rover BAR’s Sustainability Manager and, under her guidance and leadership, the following key achievements were secured:

• The team became the first British sports team to secure certification for the Olympic-inspired IS020121 – the event sustainability management system. This gave the team a structured approach and a ‘plan-do-check-act’ system which culminated in the identification and prioritisation of key sustainability issues and opportunities and enabled them to set objectives, targets and actions.
• Land Rover BAR published its first Annual Sustainability Report – a statement of its intent to put sustainability at the heart of its operations. Robust monitoring led to this being an annual publication of achievement against the team’s sustainability objectives.
• Susie also played a key role in helping the team to secure a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating for its Portsmouth headquarters. Land Rover BAR is believed to be the first professional sports team to operate from a building of this type. All electricity at the base was from renewable resources and rainwater was captured to meet water requirements.
• A sustainably-aware and committed supply chain was developed.
• The team worked to leave a positive impact on local ecology through measures such as the building of an artificial reef to seed the native oyster population.
• The team won the 2016 Sport for Environment Award at the prestigious Beyond Sport awards, British Marine’s Environment Award and Boat International’s Seafarer’s Award at their annual Ocean Awards.

The team demonstrated its commitment to three goals: Inspiring excellence, smarter futures and driving innovation.

11^th Hour Racing, the team’s sustainability partner, declared it was “proud of the Land Rover BAR achievements and progress across the board of their sustainability strategy.”

The document seeks to harness the power of digital technology to transform service delivery and drive economic growth, whilst maintaining Northern Devon’s unique environment.

It sets out the joint vision of North Devon and Torridge District Councils to harness digital to ‘deliver the right kind of economic growth, with the greatest value for local communities, coupled with the best kind of environmental protection to safeguard our beautiful area’s future.’

Developed with contributions and input from a range of public and private stakeholders, the strategy sets out the case for embracing digital and the potential benefits it offers in key areas such as the provision of services, employment and housing. It warns too of the risk of not harnessing a digital approach with the potential impact of the region being ‘left behind’.

It also details three strategic priorities to support the vision and unlock the benefits of a Digital Northern Devon:

• Getting people digital: Presenting a clear need case for connectivity
• The ‘right kind’ of economic growth: Balancing quality of life and protecting the natural environment with increasing efficiency and productivity
• Unlocking potential through collaboration: Using shared data and information to transform service delivery in planning, housing, health and social care.

Executive Member for Economic Development, Councillor Pat Barker, said: “We’re really excited to launch our Digital Strategy, which is the first step on a journey to understanding the opportunities that digital technology can present for our region. .It (has been) widely welcomed by local businesses and partners.”

You can download the strategy here: https://www.northdevon.gov.uk/media/379084/pcsg-d-ndt-digital-strategy-final.pdf