SANDY Balls Holiday Centre near Fordingbridge is celebrating after sweeping the board at the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Sustainable Business Awards.

The 120-acre holiday centre at Godshill, which welcomes 50,000 guests each year and is renowned for its environmental initiatives, was crowned overall winner of the awards and also took first place in the category for medium-sized businesses.

Vincent Stammers, Sandy Balls' operations director, was singled out for recognition of his personal commitment to sustainability at the centre, receiving one of four individual achievement certificates.

The awards were presented by environmental champion and television presenter, Chris Packham, at a ceremony in Winchester.

Organised by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Business Environment Forum, the awards have two objectives: to celebrate outstanding performance by businesses and other organisations in contributing to sustainable development, and to highlight specific examples of achievement and best practice to encourage others to adopt a sustainable approach to their operations.

The judges praised the centre's achievements in 2003, including its participation in the New Forest visitor stewardship pilot, its work with New Forest District Council on a programme of sustainable management of the forest and its promotion of sustainable tourism.

Other achievements included the use of electric and LPG vehicles, a solar heating system for the outdoor swimming pool, the specification of its luxury lodges and holiday homes, which are designed to reduce gas consumption by up to 33 per cent, its comprehensive recycling policy and its active woodland management programme to encourage a natural regeneration of native species.

The centre's achievements in social, economic and leadership and management responsibility also received praise, including the accessibility of its leisure centre for use by the local community, its employment policy of providing flexible or part-time working hours to suit parents, returnees and the retired - the majority of whom live within a five mile radius of the centre - and its putting environmental concerns ahead of financial gain.

"We are over the moon," said Mr Stammers.

"Sustaining the centre as a place of natural beauty, but doing so in balance with our economic, community and employer responsibilities, has always been at the core of business planning and implementation.

"All our dedicated and hard working staff play their part in making Sandy Balls a wonderful place both to work at and to spend time as a guest." Sandy Balls will now be put forward by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Business Environment Forum to be considered for the SEEDA South East Sustainable Business Awards in November.