Following an outstanding amount of recent press attention, across television, radio, print and online, Forest Pennant's hydro scheme goes one step further and scoops a prestigious industry award at this year's Sustain Magazine awards.

Presented with the Award for Energy, sponsored by EOS Energy: Dean Walton, director of Alumet Systems and marketing director of EOS Energy; Adam Bloom, comedian; Nick Horton, Forest Pennant managing director; Marcus Scott-Russell, Forest of Dean Stone Firms director; and Holly Rogers, Pentacom PR.

Fighting off stiff competition from five other short listed companies, including UK leading power and gas company, E.ON and global construction giant, Interserve, the natural Pennant sandstone specialist was presented with the award for Energy at a lavish awards dinner at The Troxy, London on 1st March.

Harnessing the power of the River Lyd and utilising the existing spillway and head of the historic Cannop Ponds, the independent judging panel was impressed with the company's significant reduction in the use of mains electricity – reduced by around 80% and the turbine's ability to produce around 50,000kW hours of green electricity each year.

Used for the processing of the its natural stone, Royal Forest Pennant, Forest Pennant is now the first, specialist masonry company in the UK to generate its own green electricity. This also enables the company to promote its natural stone products as the lowest carbon rated in the country.

With recent coverage on both BBC news and radio, supported by a sustained PR campaign, this award marks the start of a new and exciting era for Forest Pennant, acting as an exemplar project for other producers and manufacturers to emulate..