Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre, run by Suffolk-based Abbeycroft Leisure, has been awarded Gold Level for the Suffolk Carbon Charter after reducing its emissions and environmental impacts.

Haverhill Leisure Centre has also achieved recognition of its environmental efforts and has been awarded Bronze Level.

The Carbon Charter is awarded to companies that are monitoring and reducing their carbon emissions. The charter provides public recognition of companies and organisations taking vital steps towards creating a greener county. The Gold Charter is only awarded to companies that, in addition to having achieved significant reductions in their carbon emissions, are also using their position to influence their communities, whether through their supply chain, customers or staff.

To aid a reduction in carbon emissions and meet certain criteria for the Carbon Charter, Abbeycroft Leisure has written and adopted an environmental policy, future carbon emission reduction targets have been set, and an action plan on use of energy and steps to reduce waste drawn up. A quarterly staff news letter has been launched to engage staff, encourage them to save energy, and raise the awareness of environmental issues. There have been internal housekeeping improvements and there is now more efficient use of heating, lighting, water usage and air conditioning.

A number of energy audits have been undertaken each focusing on specific areas where there could be potential savings made in the short and long term. The viability and energy saving qualities of pool covers were investigated within one of the audits and as a result new covers have recently been installed for the main and teaching pools at the Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre, which greatly reduces heat loss and evaporation from the pool water. As the Leisure pool is a freeform pool, a solid cover cannot be fitted. Therefore Abbeycroft also plans to install equipment which forms a 'liquid pool cover' for the Leisure pool. The liquid cover is not as effective as a solid cover, however it does still reduce heat loss and water evaporation from the pool water by forming a 'skin' on the pool surface when the pool is not in use.

Simon Ginders-Coxshall, General Manager, said: "We are so thrilled to be accredited to gold level. We have made significant reductions in our carbon emissions as a Centre in the last three years and we take the environmental impact of what we do very seriously. We will now continue to improve and look at other ways in which we can continue to uphold the values of the Charter."

The Charter was developed as part of the ANSWER Project, with the support of ERDF through the Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme.

Ned Harrison, ANSWER Project Manager on behalf of the Carbon Charter panel, said: "The audit stated that 'the organisation has an excellent environmental management system in place (almost a full EMS) which has been fully adopted and is being driven forward by the General Manager. This ensures continual improvement and monitoring of environmental performance throughout the organisation. The Centre has improved on its baseline carbon footprint of 2007/8 every year and is continuing to investigate and implement measures to reduce its emissions and environmental impacts and to engage with staff and the public'."