CLEAN CENTRE: Staff at the Land Securities-owned Bridges shopping centre, in Sunderland, have brushed aside the competition to win the national Best Team award for their work on an environmental cleaning initiative. The Bridges' operations manager, Kevin Rusby, and the centre's cleaning contractor manager, Dave Cook, have been awarded the FTSE-100 company's Values into Action award. Staff have implemented an environmentally-friendly cleaning system at the shopping centre, using biodegradable products and reducing the amount of cleaning materials used by 90 per cent.

WINNING CHEESE: Shepherds Purse, of Thirsk, North Yorkshire, has achieved gold for its Yorkshire Blue cheese in the Best Regional Food category of the Daily Telegraph Sainsbury's Taste of Britain awards. The speciality cheesemaker competed with more than 300 entrants. Shepherds Purse, along with other winners of the competition organised by the Daily Telegraph and Sainsbury's in conjunction with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, IGD and Food From Britain, will be presented with a certificate at an awards ceremony at the House of Lords next month.