TfGM recognises businesses’ contributions to sustainable travel

The award-winning Northern Care Alliance includes the Royal Oldham hospital in its group

Businesses across Greater Manchester, including arts centre HOME and the Northern Care Alliance, have been awarded a TfGM accreditation for their work in supporting on foot and by bike travel or using electric vehicles within their organisations.

The businesses - the Northern Care Alliance includes the Royal Oldham hospital in its group - have achieved this recognition by evidencing their commitment to active travel, whether that be through fleet investment, working practices or encouraging and enabling employees to make more sustainable travel choices.

This year the annual awards saw the addition of a Platinum accreditation, recognising those workplaces that have achieved ‘sustained travel behaviour change’ through the interventions they have implemented.

Organisations that achieved this highest level of accreditation included Manchester Metropolitan University for its work in enabling travel to work by sustainable modes, with over 75% of staff now doing so, as well as a commitment to increasing the numbers of electric vehicles in the fleet which is crucial in ensuring that Greater Manchester achieves its target of being carbon neutral by 2038.

The Christie also achieved Platinum in recognition of its work in creating a long-term culture change by encouraging sustainable travel modes among new employees, as well as continued analysis of employee behaviour to determine the next phase of their Sustainable Travel Plan.

Victoria Le Mare, Sustainable Journeys Delivery Lead at Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “While this year has been challenging for many businesses and presented unprecedented challenges, it has been incredibly encouraging to see the continued commitment and focus on improving the sustainability of their practices for both the businesses and employees.

“It’s a testament to the ongoing work of this year’s accredited businesses that eight of them have moved up a level of accreditation, showing their long-term investment in sustainability, and it’s fantastic to see three new businesses achieving their first accreditation as they start their journey with us.”

This work not only delivers tangible benefits to the business in question, but also to their employees as well as contributing to Greater Manchester’s carbon neutrality targets, Congestion Deal and clean air targets.

The list of accreditation recipients includes:

Northern Care Alliance – Gold accreditation

Barry Waterhouse, Group Travel and Access Manager, Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, said: “We are delighted to receive the Gold standard award in the Accreditation for Sustainable Travel.

"It is fantastic to be acknowledged for the breadth of work that we have implemented since our last accreditation.

"We have achieved a great deal creating sustainable travel solutions that are tailored to our sites and communities, rather than a  one-size-fits-all approach.

“There’s never been a better time to build active and sustainable travel into our long-term strategies and we will continue to create a variety of measures, events and promotions to alleviate some of the traffic pressures at our sites and across our local communities."

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.