Future First Charter
Together with Values and Compassion Kents Hill Park is proud to be part of The Venues Collection, who operate a social purpose framework to make sure the impact we have on the world around us is a positive one.We welcome thousands of guests through our doors every year, so we have a responsibility to ensure The Venues Collection has a clear social purpose to better our planet and all the people we interact with.
We are more than just a collection of venues. Therefore, we created our Future First Charter, a framework to deliver our social purpose.
The charter outlines our commitments in 3 areas – each with its own measurable goals. Our commitments are integrally linked with our 3 brand pillars of great food, great service, great space. These areas are People Pledge, Food Focus & Enriching Environments.
People Pledge
We believe in inclusive working environments, where everyone can feel welcome and equally represented no matter what area of our business you work in. Everyone matters and everyone is valued. We listen to our guest feedback and want to make their visits as enjoyable as possible.
By the end of 2024 we will have:
Grown Talent In Our Business
- Grown our talent from within, we will have at least three apprentices per venue
- Our line managers will be enrolled on a bespoke ‘Leadership and Management’ programme, to support continuous improvement of our department heads and cultivate an enriched workplace.
Support Diversity And Inclusion And Wellbeing
- Each of our venues will have an active ‘Diversity, Wellbeing, and Women in Food Ambassador’ to promote inclusive initiatives throughout the year.
Customer First
- On average, our group guest feedback score will be 4 and above, out of a possible 5.
Food Focus
We believe our industry has a responsibility to do more for the teams we work with, the communities we work in, and the planet. The Venues Collection is committed to achieving climate Net Zero.
By the end of 2024 we will have:
Minimised Food Waste
- Zero food waste – no matter what we’re cooking, our approach is ‘root to stem, nose to tail.’ We measure and monitor all waste removed from site e.g.:
- 100% of our food waste will go to anaerobic digestion, to produce green gas
- 100% of our used cooking oil will go to produce bio-diesel
Supported animal welfare and reduced our carbon emissions
- We will continue to use Red Tractor assured chicken and milk, so you know these ingredients have been responsibly sourced, safely produced and come from crops and animals that have been well cared for – so it’s good for you and good for British farmers
- We will continue to display the carbon footprint of our dishes, helping guests to make educated, climate-friendly choices.
- We will continue to eliminate the use of any air freight ingredients to actively reduce our carbon impact
- Our menus will continue to prioritise British grown ingredients, with less food miles
- At least 50% of our menus will continue to be plant-forward, with a great choice of alternative proteins
- All our desserts are made without dairy to reduce our impact on greenhouse gas emissions.
Enriching Environments
These commitments benefit everyone; for our employees, an enriching place to work; for our guests, flexible, sustainable spaces to meet, sleep and celebrate; for our planet, considered actions and activities to support the wellbeing and future of the planet.
By the end of 2024 we will have:
Reduced the Impact of our Facilities
- We will have zero waste going to landfill, which will mean that all waste produced is either reused, recycled, composted, or sent to energy recovery
- We will have installed energy monitoring on all sites, to design an energy reduction strategy for each site
- We will have installed water saving measures at many of our sites, which will reduce the water we use by 460,000 litres of water per year
- We will continue to measure and monitor all waste removed from site, to create an offsetting action plan
- We will have recycled over 50% of our overall waste and are committed to increase this year on year
- Reduced our CO2 emissions by over 500 tonnes this year
- Generated over 1 million kwh of renewable electricity at our venues
- Produced enough energy from solar to drive an electric vehicle 500,000 miles, which is the equivalent of flying from the UK to Australia and back 26 times!
Supported Natural Eco-systems
- Created a static aerated compost system at one of our venues, with a plan to roll out to all venues
- Be the first hotel group in the UK to roll out solar electric vehicle charging points at all of our venues
- We will have maintained native hedgerows and woodland and created areas to grow wildflowers and meadow grass to support wildlife
- Many of our venues will continue to have bat boxes, bird boxes, insect hotels, and beehives
- Supported our sister company, Levy UK, with their Bio Hub Farm initiative, which will help educate current and future generations of chefs and farmers on sustainable farming practices
- Continue to encourage the use of more environmentally friendly means of travelling to and from our venues
Meetings for Change
The Venues Collection recognise the risks posed to the planet from climate change and that the consequences of this change are being felt by people all around the world, that’s why, as part of our Future First Charter we created ‘Meetings for Change’.
For all our meeting, conference and events
We believe in using fresh, seasonal products
We aim that 80% of ingredients on our menus are to be British grown. All the chicken and milk we serve is Red Tractor assured.
We believe in the power of plants
We offer plant-forward menus, with a choice of great-tasting alternative proteins.
We believe in zero waste
Whatever we’re cooking for your meeting or event our approach is root-to-stem, nose-to-tail. We use recycled and reusable packaging wherever we can.
We believe in ethical sourcing
Our teas and coffees come from responsible suppliers. Our chocolate is Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance certified.
We believe in protecting our planet
Our climate promise is to reach Net Zero by 2030
For more information please speak to one of our venue experts.
Green Accredited Venue
We’re delighted our venue has achieved the ‘silver’ level in the Green Tourism ‘Green Meetings’ Standard – the world’s largest sustainable certification programme.
This accreditation covers waste management, recycling, energy, water conservation, and much more. We’ve not stopped there! We’re working hard on our green journey to achieve the ‘gold’ standard, supported by our ‘Future First Charter’.
