RSPB reserve looks locally
SALTHOLME, the award-winning wildlife reserve in the middle of North Tees' chemical cluster which has attracted more than 70,000 visitors since opening at the start of the year, said it would switch to buying produce for its busy cafe from local suppliers.
The reserve, run by the RSPB, already stocks Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance products. Now it has decided to buy, where possible, from local greengrocers, bakers and butchers as it moves closer to its target of boosting the local economy by a massive £1m a year.
George Bolam Foods, based in nearby Sedgefield, is among those benefiting from the change in policy. A family business established in 1968, it sources all its meats from farmers in a 20-mile radius.
Saltholme’s centre manager Lisa Daley said: “As 100% of our café’s profits go to conservation and because we want to support the local economy, it is really important that we source only the best locally-produced food and the results are fantastic.”
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