Last Friday a team from Bristol including several of us from Bristol Green Capital Partnership were in Brussels to tell a jury of European organisations why Bristol should be awarded the title of European Green Capital. The presentations, videos and package of books and booklets on Bristol and what we want to do in 2014 went down very well with the jury. All the team put considerable effort into making our presentation a success.

However, what we achieved in Brussels was as a result of all the time and effort many colleagues put in to the making of and contributions to the videos and the material we used, and the existing visions, ambitions and commitments of the members of Bristol Green Capital. The strength, scale and successes of the many of the activities we are all working on and involved in meant that we had a very powerful justification for Bristol to be awarded the European Green Capital title.

I would therefore like to express my deepest thanks to everyone and to say that no matter what the result is on 29 June 2012, Bristol and the environment are already winners.

A BIG Green thank you from Martin Bigg.

The presentation team at the European Green Capital finals.

From left to right: Patrick Bulmer, Alex Minshull, Councillor Simon Cook, Savita Custead, Professor Martin Bigg, Stephen Hilton, Makala Campbell, Professor Joe McGeehan. Sir Graham Watson was also at the presentation.