B&FC Wins “Low Carbon Business of the Year” at the 2025 BIBA Awards!

Friday proved to be a fabulous evening for colleague representatives (pictured, right), who attended this glittering awards ceremony at the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom on Friday. 

Although B&FC missed out on the ‘Skills Provider of the Year’ category to Blackburn College, the celebrations began soon afterwards when it was revealed that we had beaten seven other finalists to scoop our first-ever BIBA Award. 

Our entry for this prestigious regional business award showcased the improvements in B&FC’s environmental performance that are set out in our Sustainability and Environmental Strategy. 

These highlight work and progress across a range of areas including:

 

	Decarbonisation of our Estate		Sustainable Construction
	Education for Sustainable Development		Waste Reduction and Sustainable Procurement
	Biodiversity Enhancement		Promotion of Sustainable Travel
	Water Management		Putting Sustainability at the Heart of Decision Making

 Following an interview and successful award shortlisting, we welcomed the BIBA judges to Bispham for a tour designed to test our submission in June.

This included visits to the Advanced Technology Centre – where we demonstrated some of the latest engineering technologies aligned to the low carbon agenda – and the Sustainability Centre, where we showed how we embed this agenda into our curriculum, including retrofitting and renewable technologies.

Judges also heard about our ‘Farm to Fork’ scheme, which is slashing our carbon footprint, as well as our ambitious plans for the Multiversity: a carbon-neutral building featuring rooftop solar panels, air source heat pumps and extensive use of natural light. 

Alun Francis, B&FC CEO, said: 

This is an absolutely fantastic achievement for B&FC” 

The BIBA awards are often described as “the one they all want to win” in Lancashire. They attract entries from businesses of all sizes and sectors, so the winners are regionally seen as the best-in-class. 

This first-ever BIBA award recognises the significant commitment, improvements and exciting future B&FC has in relation to the sustainability and environmental agenda – not least in giving our learners access to the facilities, skills and knowledge they need to succeed in this fast-growing sector.

A huge ‘well done’ to all the colleagues and teams involved in this!