ARNSIDE and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has been named winner in the UK’s biggest ever creative competition to combat climate change.

The AONB secured the top slot in the workplace category with their idea to convert farm and food waste into useful end sources.

The AONB impressed the judges - which included former Manchester United defender Gary Neville and adventurer Ben Fogle - with it’s idea to work with the local farming and dairy community to develop a network of farm-based anaerobic digesters that could convert farm and food waste to produce Biogas and fertilizer.

The Biogas would be collected with adapted milk tankers and processed at dairy business sites, with methane sold to the National Grid.

Rather than releasing the remaining carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the greenhouse gas would be combined with calcium from waste milk to create limestone (calcium carbonate) to fill in old lime stone quarries.

David Askew, officer at AONB, said: “The whole team are delighted and surprised to have been successful.

“We are always looking for innovative ways to protect the landscape and environment. Dealing with the effects of climate change is something we see as both a huge threat to the AONB, and also a great opportunity to think and act differently, find solutions and form new partnerships to deliver our goal of conserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the AONB.”

Kevin Steele, Founder of Climate Week said: “Our celebrity panel rated them highly for their innovative idea. They faced extremely tough competition, not only in coming up with a great idea in a tight time frame, but in beating off thousands of other competitors to be named as winners.”