We are now an award winning company, winning Gold at the Staffordshire Green Awards in December 2007 in the sustainable tourism category. Sustainable tourism is so very important to us and we are so excited to have been recognised with this prestigious award! Mum is continuing the work she started on the BBC2 programme "It's Not Easy Being Green" with Dick Strawbridge and is developing the new organic garden next door. The Rowan House garden is organically managed and currently provides a fabulous environment to relax and enjoy the open views of the countryside.

Please check out our press coverage so far below.

 

Today is now warm and sunny and helping me plan for the spring and begin to imagine days in the garden and eating outside! The blackbirds have been very noisy and busy depositing moss all over the patio in an effort to make their nests 5 star! Our website has now got its new look and we hope you like it. Please sign up for our newletter on the front page and you will be the first to hear about our special offers and news. We are just beginning to put together our ideas for how to spend our prize money from the Staffordshire Green Awards. We want to focus on a green project and ideas are always welcome!

I am aware that many of you won't have stayed with us yet, so won't know the story of Rowan House and my move next door to Meadow View. So, at the risk of (briefly!) boring those of you who have stayed with us, I will tell the story again and move on swiftly to tell you about the exciting events of this week!

The story began in 1990 when we moved to Rowan House: the sunny, south facing 4 star holiday accommodation that you can view on our website, Simply Staffordshire. We lived there very happily for 16 years, but when the last of my 3 daughters, Martha, decided to travel round the world in 2006, I decided to move next door to Meadow View (or, more precisely into a caravan for 8 months while Meadow View was rewired and plumbed!)

During our years in Rowan House my interest in the environment had led me to gradually transform and organically manage the garden at Rowan House and develop a vegetable and fruit area. The chance to move next door to Meadow View was too good an opportunity to miss, because I was able to keep the wonderful south facing views, but also take my vegetable garden with me! I was surprised to find that my interest in the principles of organic gardening and the environment developed further and I took the decision to become as green as I could whilst restoring my new home.

Then a strange (and organic ....) series of events occurred! As a result of emailing the BBC 2 program It's Not Easy Being Green for advice on my solar panels and heating system. I was contacted by them later in the summer of 2006 and asked if I needed any help with my project. I replied that I always need help and was then asked if I would agree to my project being filmed for the 2nd series of the program It's Not Easy Being Green to start in March last year. The rest is history, as they say! For anyone wanting to have a guided tour of the my new organic garden during their stay - please just ask!

The Sentinel, Staffordshire (June 2007)

Staffordshire Life (July 2007)

The Sentinel (February 2008)

The Sunday Times (March 2008) We are very excited to have been featured in the Sunday Times (9th March, Business Section). Rachel Bridge was discussing the benefits of small business adopting green credentials and we were quoted as a good example. Here is the article if you want to read it in full!

The Baby Website (online April 2008)

W.I.R.E website (online April 2008) Mum and I were speakers at the annual WIRE conference in Shropshire. We were there to tell our story and how Simply Staffordshire came about. It was thrilling to talk to so many other people in rural business.

Welcome to the Simply Staffordshire blog.