The Railway Ramblers’ Rest is one of Dartmoor’s most well-established rest stops, offering self-catering accommodation to visitors of Princetown, West Devon. Owners Nikki and Terry Hirst have found success in their corner of West Devon, winning the 2024 Tripadvisor Travelers Choice Awards and being featured as one of the winners on Channel 4’s Four in a Bed. 

As ambassadors of the Visit Tamar Valley’s Green Tourism Programme in an area of outstanding beauty such as Dartmoor, Nikki and Terry are also committed to sustainability as they aim to achieve net zero before 2030. Before they sought out assistance, they were already implementing energy reduction measures to their hotel, using natural daylighting and locally sourced wood for heating, and encouraging lift sharing between their staff. 

However, the couple wanted to reduce the high energy costs that were affecting their business. The biggest carbon emission hotspots in their facilities were their pool heating and gas boiler heating systems, the latter of which created a significant level of carbon emissions.

Nikki and Terry found out about the Decarbonise Your Small Business programme through one of West Devon Borough Council’s newsletters as well as their local library network. They received a carbon footprint & SME recommendations report from us, which they used to bid for additional funding. As a result, they were able to receive 50% of a £17k solar project grant from West Devon Borough Council, and 80% match funding through Devon County Council’s Green Impact Fund, for a combined £34k in grant payouts.

“Libraries Unlimited have been INVALUABLE to our business,” Nikki Hirst said. “Having the report meant we had a very measurable and effective base point. It has certainly propelled our decarbonisation plan and given us a new lease of life.” 

With this new funding pot, they are looking to install solar energy and electric car charging pumps, are investigating the replacement of their central gas heating system and have already taken steps to reduce their personal energy usage by purchasing an electric car. 

You can visit the website here: https://ramblersrest.uk/  

If you would like to find out more about how to decarbonise your small business, get in touch with BIPC Devon now to find out how we can help!