THE Arethusa Venture Centre, the complex at Upnor, near Rochester, that offers sailing adventure to underprivileged children, has won the Kent Environment Business of the Year Award. The centre beat some of the biggest firms in the county.

The contest was sponsored by Aylesford Newsprint and run by Kent County Council. The centre also won the top award for its work with the community, an award sponsored by the Kent Messenger Group.

Arethusa was established more than 150 years ago as a Shaftesbury Homes project and works with local partners such as the Dickens Countryside Protection Society, Millennium Volunteers and North West Kent College.

Martin Smith, assistant director, and project officer Fiona Houghton, looked surprised as they stepped up to accept the trophy - a dragon-fly on a reed - at Canterbury Cathedral Education Centre.

This year’s awards attracted a record 86 entries. Shepherd Neame, the 300-year old Faversham brewery, won the Resource Efficiency category (sponsored by Cogen) for its work on energy and water conservation.

Balfour Beatty Major Projects, the civil engineering firm building the Channel Tunnel Rail Link between Ashford and the tunnel terminal, won the Site Management category (sponsored by Mid Kent Water). It has cared for newts, dormice and other flora and fauna during the project.

Peter Anderson, project director, said the construction industry had a poor reputation for environmental management. “What we need to do now is spread the word both within Balfour Beatty and extensively in the construction industry,” he said.

Cel-F Solar Systems of West Kingsdown won the Environmental Innovation award (sponsored by Business Link Kent) for its solar heating technology. Its products have already been installed in the Fishing Village at St Mary’s Island, Chatham Maritime.

The firm says that for an average household, its solar panel will save two tonnes of CO2 emissions a year. “This is something special and we’re really happy,” said director Kevin Knapp.

Bank Farm, based in Aldington, near Ashford, won the Wildlife Conservation award (sponsored by Pfizer). Douglas Wanstall, the fourth generation in the family to run the farm, said farming practices and laws had not been kind to the environment.

“There is still a need for good efficient agriculture to produce enough food for everybody but it can be in a more sustainable manner,” he said.

Dr Binnie Buckley, the Environment Agency’s Kent area manager, said: “A key message to businesses is that environmental management is a fundamental part of business efficiency. There are substantial bottom line rewards for companies looking seriously at their environmental performance.”