An awards scheme which gives recognition to the greenest groups and most environmentally aware organisations is expanding beyond Norwich this year - to cover the whole of Norfolk.

Traditionally the eco awards awards have only been open to organisations in the city, but Norwich City Council has now teamed up with Norfolk County Council to launch the new and improved Norwich and Norfolk Eco Awards for the whole county.

Two new categories - outstanding eco food producer and eco home have been added to the usual four.

Food producers will be recognised who can show their product has been made in Norfolk and can demonstrate great environmental credentials.

The homes category will reward individual homeowners who have shown their eco commitment by taking action to make their homes as energy efficient as possible.

These new awards are in addition to eco primary and secondary school, community group and small business with less than 50 employees.

Slow Food Norwich and Anglia is sponsoring the local food producer, and Foster, part of the Lakehouse group the eco home award. Norfolk Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the small business award, education advisory service NIEAS the primary school category, Enterprise Rent-A-Car the secondary school and Voluntary Norfolk the community group award.

Bert Bremner, Norwich City Council's cabinet member for environmental strategy and a county councillor, said: 'The Eco Awards are a great way of championing all the brilliant work to protect and enhance the local environment, which we know groups and organisations are doing every day.

'It's really exciting to see it expanding to incorporate not only more worthwhile work with food production and homes but also opening the invitation to everyone in Norfolk to take part.

'The aim is to celebrate projects and schemes with a strong ecological or environmentally-friendly ethos or groups and organisations which can show they adopt a sound eco approach to all their business.'

The new Norwich and Norfolk Eco Awards opened for entries yesterday. The closing date is Friday, February 12. The official awards ceremony will be held at The Forum in Norwich on Saturday, March 12.

For further information, online and download applications visit www.norwich.gov.uk/ecoawards or www.norfolk.gov.uk/ecoawards, email ecoawards@norwich.gov.uk or eco.awards@norfolk.gov.uk or call 01603 212545.