Barnsley College celebrates triple Green Gown Awards success including Institution of the Year shortlisting

Left-to-right: Amber Richardson from Masonite, Barnsley College Account Manager Daniel Cherryholme, and Masonite UK Organisational Development Manager Gavin Day.

Barnsley College is celebrating a major national achievement after being one of just six institutions shortlisted for Sustainability Institution of the Year at the 2026 UK and Ireland Green Gown Awards.

The prestigious shortlisting recognises the College’s ambitious whole-college approach to sustainability and the progress being made by staff and students to support a just transition for the local community.

The College’s nomination recognises ambitious work to not only embed Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into teaching and learning, but to improve its own carbon footprint – serving as an example of good practice to the wider community.

The Institution of the Year recognition is one of three finalist places for the College, with Head of Sustainability Sasha Beswick also shortlisted in the Sustainability Champion category and the College’s Childcare T Level cohort named finalists in the Benefitting Society category for the positive impact of students’ work in their placement settings.

The Green Gown Awards, delivered by EAUC, celebrate innovation and leadership in sustainability across UK and Irish colleges and universities.

Sasha Beswick, Head of Sustainability at Barnsley College, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be shortlisted for Sustainability Institution of the Year. This recognition places Barnsley College among the leading institutions across the UK and Ireland, and that is down to the passion and innovation of our staff and students.

“At the heart of this work is our commitment to supporting a just transition for Barnsley – creating a journey toward being more sustainable that is inclusive, practical and rooted in the needs of our whole community.

“We don’t believe sustainability is the role of one person, one department, or one organisation – everyone has an opportunity, and responsibility, to drive meaningful change for the future.

“To also be named as a finalist in the Sustainability Champion category is incredibly special, but this recognition belongs to everyone helping to make sustainability part of how we teach, learn and work.”