Pub goes green with football team

Staff at a pub that is on a drive to go green are encouraging stars from their local football team to do the same.

The Turf Hotel, next to Wrexham's Racecourse ground, is taking part in the Welsh Assembly's Climate Change Challenge to help reduce Wales' carbon footprint.

And ahead of Wrexham kicking off their Blue Square League campaign on Saturday the Turf encouraged players to get out of the electricity-run gym and train outdoors to help the planet and make exercise more fun.

Players joined Turf staff and regulars yesterday (Thursday August 6) for a lap around the Racecourse on their bikes to demonstrate the benefits of eco-friendly fitness.

Turf manager Ian Jones said: "It's been a fantastic opportunity to share environmentally-friendly tips with the players.

" hope their interest will encourage others in the community to think about how they can lower their carbon footprint. It's easier to do than you think, for example, just by using energy saving light bulbs you're helping the environment and also saving money - so you'll have more spare change for a pint."

The Turf Hotel, is one of three pubs across Wales that are going green for the Welsh Assembly Climate Change Challenge. It is competing against the Grove in St David's and The Castle Inn in Caldicot to find innovative and exciting ways of reducing their carbon footprint.

The Challenge will run until the end of the year and be judged by a panel of climate change experts including Energy Saving Trust, Carbon Trust and Dwr Cymru. The winner will be announced in December.