Cornish Real Nappy Project has scooped the Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) Real Nappy Week Campaign Awards, now in their second year. The awards recognise, reward and publicise the best campaigns run during the annual awareness week in April. They are sponsored by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme).

The Cornish Real Nappy Project was selected as overall winner for its innovative range of activities covering a wide geographic area. Radio 2 presenter Janey Lee Grace addressed and broadcast live from a real nappy conference; a starter kit was given to the first baby born in the county during the week; a trial scheme was started with accommodation providers on the Isles of Scilly; pregnant mums at a toddler group got free gifts; there were ‘nappuccino’ coffee mornings and finally a ‘bear bottoms’ competition at Newquay Zoo.

“We are all thrilled to have won this prestigious award and are delighted that the team’s hard work over the last six years has been recognised nationally,” said Rebecca Thomas, Project Manager. “We were particularly delighted to be able to launch exciting new aspects of the campaign here in Cornwall during Real Nappy Week”.

“Cornish Real Nappy Project’s campaign was highly professional. They provided a range of fun opportunities to find out about real nappies as well as ongoing partnerships for further work,” said award judge, Chandra Littlewood of WEN.

Cornish Real Nappy Project won the overall award and the large campaigns category award, netting £600 in prize money. The small campaigns category winner was the Highland Real Nappy Project from Scotland.

Highland Real Nappy Project’s campaign spanned the Highlands with demonstrations, stalls, information displays and coffee mornings. The campaign worked with Tomorrow’s Child Ltd, who were highly commended for a fashion show at Fort William supported by local MP, former Liberal leader and new dad, Charles Kennedy. “Highland Real Nappy Project’s campaign was a great example of effective promotion in a geographically diverse community” said Chandra Littlewood.

Bucks Real Nappy Initiative was runner up in the large campaigns category and Orkney Real Nappy Scheme was the runner up in the small campaigns category. Highly commended awards went to Kent County Council, Wiltshire Real Nappy Network, Gloucestershire Real Nappy Campaign, Northumberland County Council (large campaigns), Kingston and Merton Real Nappy Network, Scottish Borders Real Nappy Network, Charnwood Real Nappy Network and Reading Borough Council (small campaigns).

A record 905 supporters signed up to back Real Nappy Week, including over 90 percent of all UK local authorities and 155 MPs, MSPs, MEPs and Welsh AMs. No longer just an eco and economic option, real nappies are now a fashionable lifestyle choice. Day-Glo colours, leopardskin prints, organic and unbleached fabrics, snug fitted styles and easy-to-use Velcro or popper fastenings are all evidence of how the growing real nappy industry is responding to the diverse demands of parents.

ENDS

Media contacts: Chandra Littlewood or Liz Sutton on 020 7481 9004, nappies3@wen.org.uk

High resolution version of attached photo available on request
Photo caption: The CRNP team with key speakers at their Nappies Now Conference Monday 24th April 2006

Back row: Team members: Tara Jones, Vivienne Carne, Kate Jackson, Joy Dent and Rebecca Thomas, Front Row: Claire Hingston WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme), Sue Williams, senior midwife, BBC Radio 2 presenter and author Janey Le Grace with baby Lulu, Dan Rogerson MP for North Cornwall, Liz Scambler, Lollipop Children's Products, Jon Rolls CRNP Manager and son Freddy. Photo supplied by CRNP.

Notes to editors

Awards: The winners of the small and large campaigns categories each receive £400. The overall winner receives an additional £200.

Real Nappy Week 2006 ran from 24 to 30 April. The Week is co-ordinated by WEN and sponsored by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) through its Real Nappy Campaign and supported by Waste Aware Scotland to raise awareness of the benefits of real nappies. Nearly 600 events took place across the UK and as far afield as Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. For more information on Real Nappy Week visit www.wen.org.uk/rnw

Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) is a registered charity that campaigns on issues which link women, health and the environment. WEN has been involved in Real Nappy Week from the start (1996) and co-ordinated the week in its current form since 2000. Support has grown year on year: from 116 organisations in 2000, to more than 900 supporters in 2006 – over 90% of all UK local authorities – and hundreds of other organisations, companies and political representatives. Other current WEN issues include food, toxic chemicals and the environmental impacts of disposable sanitary and continence protection.

NAPPY FACTS

Cost
Home laundered nappies could save parents around £500 on the cost of keeping a baby in nappies.

Health
Disposable nappies are made of superabsorbent chemicals, paper pulp and plastics, while real nappies are mostly made of natural fabrics. Organic cotton and hemp nappies and organic wool waterproof covers are available at a reasonable cost.

Waste
Nearly three billion nappies are thrown away in the UK every year. Most (90%) end up in landfill; that’s nearly eight million nappies a day. We do not know how long it takes for the plastics in disposable nappies to decompose but it could take hundreds of years.

WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) is a major UK programme established to promote resource efficiency. Its particular focus is on creating stable and efficient markets for recycled materials and products and removing the barriers to waste minimisation, reuse and recycling.

A not-for-profit company, WRAP is backed by substantial government funding from Defra and the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Part of WRAP’s waste minimisation work, the Real Nappy Campaign is an element of the Real Nappy Programme, which is focused on helping parents to make an informed choice about nappies and increasing the visibility of real nappies. Its targets are to convert an additional 155,000 households to real nappy use, and in the process divert 35,000 tonnes per annum of disposable nappy waste from landfill. More information on all of WRAP’s programmes can be found at www.wrap.org.uk

The Scottish Waste Awareness Group (SWAG) works in partnership with WRAP to deliver the Real Nappy Campaign in Scotland, which is funded by the Scottish Executive. SWAG was established in 2000 to change public attitudes and behaviour towards domestic waste in Scotland. The Waste Aware Scotland campaign, developed after 18 months of both qualitative and quantitative research, has been adopted and is being used by all 32 Scottish local authorities. The campaign also receives cross-sector support from the Scottish Executive, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, the Scottish Environmental Services Association, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Community Recycling Network Scotland. For more information visit www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk