English Heritage Birdoswald Roman Fort was recently awarded the Bronze Excellence Award, one of three Environment Agency Environmental Excellence Awards in 2007.  This was in recognition of the staff's determination to deliver environmental improvements.

W G Mackay Ltd has been based in Lillyhall near Workington for almost 10 years and has its main office in Cockermouth.  This family business employs 11 people and is involved in waste recycling and management, demolition, architectural salvage and plant and skip hire. 

Key facts and figures

Dianne Halliday set up Country Fare on the family farm in the Mallerstang Valley near Kirkby Stephen in 1999. She employs eight people as well as contributing towards a delivery driver with other local food producers.

As an indication of scale, Country Fare sold over 15 000 Christmas cakes in 2006 and has supplied local Asda stores with a range of cakes and tray bakes for over five years.

Key facts and figures

Envirotech has evolved in recent years into one of the country's foremost ecological and conservation surveying consultancies, specialising in protected species surveys, particularly for bats and barn owls.

Andrew Gardner set up the business in 2004 and was able to go full time in 2006. He already has one part-time employee and uses numerous specialist contractors for bigger jobs.

Langdale Leisure Ltd

Key facts and figures

The 35-acre Langdale Estate is a natural woodland dotted with massive millstones and other reminders of its history as a 19th century gunpowder works. Today, the Estate offers a choice of hotel, lodge and apartment accommodation as well as a leisure club, two restaurants and a traditional Lakeland pub.