TRANSITION Town Totnes has clocked up a £10,000 award for being the green team with a green dream which is coming true.

The carbon footprint-shrinking group, which has grown into a worldwide phenomenon, has won a prestigious international award for its work.

The transition town team took one of the five top prizes in Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy.

The award for Behaviour Changes is based on the group's work in encouraging groups of homeowners in the Totnes area to change their day-to-day habits which has cut carbon and save them cash.

The award was presented to Transition Town Totnes project manager Fiona Ward by Grand Designs TV show presenter Kevin McCloud at a ceremony in London.

Fiona said: "The programme has proved to be just a start for many groups.

"As well as increasing their awareness and know-how on energy-saving we're seeing shared allotments, shared recycling facilities and even a film club arising from the groups' collective enterprise: Local people's ingenuity is taking the scheme way beyond any of our expectations."

The Ashden Awards showcase practical solutions to combat climate change, rewarding outstanding and innovative low-carbon schemes in the UK and developing countries.

The £10,000 is to be spent on expanding the transition town sustainable energy work.

The transition town project Transition Together has brought together 56 groups of neighbours so far — involving 1,100 people — and helped them change day-to-day habits, at little or no cost, to save carbon and cash.

So far, the 468 households involved have each saved around £570 a year on energy bills and together have cut carbon emissions by almost 600 tonnes a year. More than 140 households have also had solar PV fitted through a linked grant opportunity.