Peter Longworth was the winner of the award for Public Sector Achievement of the Year at last year’s Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence for his work in helping the Isle of Man gain UNESCO biosphere status.
There are already many Biosphere sites and they include some of the most famous landmarks in the world, such as Yellowstone National Park in the US and Ayres Rock in Australia. But there was something very particular about the Isle of Man’s inclusion in this prestigious list of locations and this was part of the reason for entering the Awards, as Peter explained:
’We submitted the entry to further highlight the fact the Isle of Man has achieved prestigious biosphere status, bestowed by UNESCO.
’It was special in that this was the first entire island nation with this accolade, out of more than 600 sites in the world.’
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UNESCO says biosphere reserves are areas comprising terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems. Each reserve promotes solutions reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use.
Many people comment that, when entering the Awards for Excellence, the actual process of filling out the entry form brings into sharp focus exactly what they have achieved and Peter is no exception.
He said: ’It was helpful to tease out how many organisations and partners contributed to the UNESCO nomination paper as well as how unusual the whole project, in terms of its context and range of partners were.
It also reminded me how invaluable the input from Professor Peter Bridgewater - a former UNESCO World lead on the Biosphere programme who just happened to live in Peel - was, both in its initiation and later refinements.’
He added that the UNESCO experts commented that they had never seen such a broad engagement with the public, private and charitable sectors.
An accolade like UNESCO biosphere is a hard one to explain to the general public in terms of the benefits it will bring and Peter’s win at the Awards has been one of the ways he has helped to raise the profile of the island’s new status.
He said: ’The Awards for Excellence win gave us the national recognition and we are continuing to build on that as the project develops. We continue to pick up social media followers on Facebook and Twitter, including from outside the island, UK and Europe.
’UNESCO status has certainly raised the profile of the Isle of Man internationally, putting us on the map alongside other, internationally recognised, places.’
Another benefit of entering the Awards for Excellence, if you are one of the 48 finalists, is that they get invited to the awards ceremony, a glitzy occasion held in November each year at the Villa.
Looking back to last year’s event, Peter recalled: ’It was the first time I have worn my DJ since university days which is getting on for 20 years, and the trousers were a bit tight around the middle! So it was great to dress up and look smarter than usual.
’I particularly liked the entertainment acts during the event and closing stage with winners waving flags on the stage.
’It was also nice to share the evening with Bill Dale and Beach Buddies who are a great example of how the Manx community are working together to keep UNESCO biosphere Isle of Man such a special place.’
There are 16 award categories at this year’s Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence, offering opportunities for businesses of all sizes, public sector teams, individuals and charitable organisations. You can find details of the the award categories and download entry forms at www.iomtoday.co.im at the right of the red bar at the top of the site.
’This accolade celebrates how the Isle of Man has constantly re-invented what we do as a community and place to live and work, and balances this with a vibrant community, valued ecosystems and resilient economy.’