Sustainability

Our Commitment to the Environment.

At Blackfriars Priory, we are committed to reducing our impact on the Earth and are continually searching for ways to reduce our carbon footprint year on year. We are actively encouraging regenerative tourism, so that we are not only sustainable, but also leaving the world better than how we found it. The steps that we are currently taking are outline below but we believe that the work here is never complete. If there is an initiative you would like to see us take on, please reach out.

Our People

Carbon Literacy Training
Three of our team have recently received their carbon literacy certificates, which come after a two day course on ways to reduce our carbon footprint, both in the workplace and outside. Each member of the team had to take a pledge on steps they will take to introduce new initiatives to help tackle climate change and will continue to implement their learning.

Community
Blackfriars Priory is a member of the Sustainable Wedding Alliance. By being a member of SWA, we are held to account to ensure we are actively working towards reducing our environmental impact and not just saying the right things. We are in the process of completing a sustainability action plan with support from SWA, which will be published once completed.

Partnerships
We actively seek partnerships with sustainability champions to bolster our efforts for the planet. We are excited to have teamed up with The Vea Collection, who have approved Blackfriars Priory as a sustainable destination wedding venue. Taking environmental considerations beyond one day, The Vea Collection also offer luxury sustainable and regenerative honeymoon and travel options.

We are a paying supplier to Rock My Wedding, where every month 10% of our membership fee is donated to trees for life. Each month we receive an update on how many trees have been planted as a direct result of our membership <3

We are always looking for new suppliers with high green credentials to recommend to our clients. If you are interested in working with us, please reach out!

Our Venue

New Planters
The external areas of Blackfriars Priory now house several new wooden planters, which have been filled with pollinator loved plants to provide an oasis in the urban landscape for bees and butterflies. More planters are on their way for 2025!

Decor Store
Save time and money with our free to use decor store. We are on a mission to remove single use and throw away items at events, so we have started a decor store, which our clients can access to decorate their event. The store includes stunning brass candelabras and clear vases for decorating tables, artificial ivy, rustic wood slices, LED pillar candles, LED tea lights, lanterns, an easel and chalk boards. We also include fairy lights in all of our hire packages.

Lighting Upgrade
Our toilets are now fitted with movement censored lights, meaning that our electrical consumption is reduced due to the lights only being on when needed.

Waste
We offer separated bins in the venue for events to encourage responsible discarding of waste. Minimal general waste is generated, as all card, plastic and glass waste that is generated by events is recycled and our caterers mostly use reusable products.

Reduced Print
Our brochures are now available in digital formats only, to reduce waste, paper consumption and preserve trees.

Suppliers

Our supply chain is important to us and we pride ourselves on working with sustainable suppliers and stocking local and ethical produce wherever possible.

Catering
We have recently completed a catering tender to renew and update our partnerships. A large focus during the process was the environmental responsibility demonstrated by each applicant and we have selected the companies who were most able to demonstrate active steps to protect the environment. This includes electric vans in the work fleet, staff car pooling, actively sourcing produce with low food mileage, growing own produce, exciting plant based menus and responsible use of equipment.

The Bar
We stock our bar with local beer, ale, cider and spirits from Gloucester Brewery, which is just a ten minute walk away from Blackfriars Priory. Our spirits are sourced from Cotswold Distillery and Fox’s Kiln. This ensures we are supporting local and that our stock has low mileage.

We also stock wine from Woodchester Valley Vineyard, a local sustainability certified Vineyard and winery.

Due to the nature of the historic venue, we are currently not able to use glassware on the bar for large functions. We are currently working to introduce re-useable polycarbonate plastics and in the meantime, all of our ‘plastics’ are made from plants - watch this space as we find a better solution!

The Cafe
Our cafe stocks oat milk as well as dairy milk and we don’t charge a surcharge for this. Oat milk has a smaller environmental impact than dairy, so we encourage this choice where possible.

We will soon be stocking tea from a local Cheltenham based tea maker, whose tea supplier is a member of The Ethical Tea Partnership, which is a not-for-profit organisation who maintains and regulates the living and working conditions on tea farms around the world. Their manufacturing facility is fully powered by their solar panels and the tea pyramids are made from 100% plant-based compostable materials, which are heat sealed and not glued. The Ethical Tea Partnership have currently planted and maintained 15,000 trees and they work with small family owned farms ensuring they have an environment management system in place.

Our bean to cup coffee is provided by Gloucester based Ethical Addictions Coffee. Ethical Addictions work directly with and buy directly from farms and villages. Some of their initiatives include fully recyclable coffee bags, with a zero packaging fill your own container option, they use eco-friendly water filters with exchangeable inner resin tubes and more.

Transport
Due to the convenient city centre location of Blackfriars Priory, we encourage our clients and guests to take advantage of the easily accessible public transport links to reduce car emissions.

Ideas for Sustainable Events
We are excited to announce that in 2025, we will be holding Gloucestershire’s first Eco Wedding Festival, in partnership with Eco Wedding Festivals. The Festival will have a fun party vibe, and will showcase a range of suppliers who have sustainability at the heart of their business. Our aim if for the Eco Wedding Festival to take place every October.

If you can’t make the date or you’re not planning a wedding, check out our blog, where we have articles containing ideas for making your event more sustainable.