Bradford College Wins Prestigious Green Gown Award

Local college recognised for sustainability and community projects

Bradford College has been named a winner at the 2025 UK and Ireland Green Gown Awards, which celebrate sustainability innovation and leadership in post-16 education. The awards, organised by the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), are now in their 21st year and attract entries from across the UK and Ireland.

Winning project: The Welcome Café

The college won in the ‘Benefitting Society (Small Organisation)’ category for its work with The Welcome Café. This initiative provides refugees and people seeking asylum with practical training in catering and hospitality within an inclusive community space. The café focuses on transforming surplus food into nutritious vegan meals inspired by global cuisines, aiming to reduce food waste while promoting health, wellbeing, education, employability, and environmental responsibility.

The Welcome Café also serves as a social hub, offering affordable meals and a place for community connection. It supports individuals who have fled their home countries by helping to restore confidence and a sense of belonging. For those living in temporary accommodation, the meals provided are often essential.

Additional recognition for sustainability efforts

Bradford College’s ‘Reboot for Good’ project received a Highly Commended award in the Next Generation Learning & Skills category. This pilot project involves refurbishing broken and obsolete computers, with around 50 machines donated to community centres and new learner hubs to improve digital access.

Comments from college and award organisers

• Chris Webb, CEO & Principal of Bradford College, highlighted the importance of sustainability as a practical experience at the college and noted the impact of the Welcome Café project on students’ confidence and integration.
• Chelsie Naylor, Sustainability Lead at Bradford College, expressed pride in the recognition, noting that most award winners were universities, making the college’s achievement notable.
• Charlotte Bonner, Chief Executive of EAUC, remarked on the growing mainstreaming of sustainability in education institutions’ core strategies and operations.
• Martin Farley, UKRI Associate Director of Environmental Sustainability Programme, emphasised the significant environmental impact educational institutions can have through such initiatives.

Next steps

As a winner in an international category, Bradford College will advance automatically to the International Green Gown Awards, scheduled for 2026.

More information about the Green Gown Awards and the projects can be found on the official website: www.greengownawards.org/showcasing-our-2025-finalists.