It’s been a big year for Raithwaite’s green ambitions

Following hot on the heels of our Catey sustainability award in 2021 and this year’s commendation in the Marie Claire Sustainability Awards, our passion for sustainability has truly taken root, with a number of initiatives that illustrate how we’re showing our (green) heart on our sleeves. Here are some of the things we’re most proud of:

Going carbon neutral

We’ve been working with Environmental Strategies Ltd to rigorously measure our carbon emissions, leading to both the reduction of our own emissions and offsetting through a variety of worthwhile projects. The result? We’re now officially carbon neutral! This is just one step towards going net zero, which we aim to achieve by 2028.

Digging for victory

Our Forest Garden, planted in late 2021, has been flourishing this year, adding to the biodiversity of our award-winning grounds. This year also saw the launch of our new no-dig kitchen garden and polytunnels, using organic methods to produce a range of fresh produce for our kitchen, from salads and beans to squashes and herbs. We’ve also updated our orchard to supply fresh fruit to the hotel.

Food glorious food

Working hand-in-hand with our gardening team, our chef has created a fantastic range of organic, local and seasonal menus for The Restaurant, where guests can tuck into traditional favourites like Sunday roasts, as well as innovative dishes that make the most of the sensational fresh produce on our doorstep.

All charged up

Our new electric car charging points have just launched (two this year and a further two in the near pipeline), available for staff, guests and visitors to the local Whitby and Sandsend area – just pitch up and charge up. Or if you’re travelling by bike, we’ve installed a new MANTIS bike station to get your gear in shape before you hit the road.

Getting the team on board

As well as introducing our Green Leader team, we’ve also recently started a local litter pick. Our team collected three large bin bags full of litter in our surrounding area in just 75 minutes, and we plan on doing this monthly.

Small changes, big wins

Elsewhere, we’ve introduced a full recycling system for all paper used on site, installed eco shower heads throughout the hotel, and brought in a new system of checking all rooms and turning off lights, TVs and heating when not in use. But there’s no rest when it comes to minimising our impact: our plans for the next few months including introducing low-carbon keg wines, measuring and publishing our food waste and bringing in paperless check outs.