A GROUP of 12 villagers from the Stanleys has won a prestigious environmental award - beating giants such as B&Q, Balfour Beatty, the Eden Project and the Ministry of Defence.

The group, from King's and Leonard Stanley, won the Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM) Environmental Excellence Award after making it to the 39 finalists.

The Stanleys Waste and Recycling Focus Group was formed to promote alternate weekly refuse collections.

Members helped shape the scheme, staffed roadshows and acted as intermediaries between Stroud District Council and the community.

They also extended it to include cardboard, CD and bra recycling.

Judges at the CIWM praised SDC for the 'excellent lengths it went to in order to consult' and described the scheme as 'the one model which every organisation should be taking up'.

"We knew we had to take the community with us," said SDC leader, Cllr Chas Fellows.

"We looked at the problems elsewhere and were determined to avoid them. With the help of the focus group, we ended up with an excellent clean scheme which has now been recognised by one of the country’s most respected environmental organisations."

Christine Hill, from King's Stanley, a member of the group, said: "I think this success was down to our own hard work and the council’s willingness to listen."

Proof of the group’s success came in a survey which showed that 93 per cent of residents were satisfied with the scheme.

Members collected the award from TV presenter Philippa Forrester during a ceremony in London.

The scheme has been running for 12 months and has achieved an average recycling rate of 55 per cent - one of the highest in the country for those which do not include garden waste.