PORLOCK-based tea and coffee merchant D J Miles has won a major industry award for promoting conservation work at a West Country zoo.

Miles printed special tokens on its tea packs last summer to give thousands of people free admission to Paignton Zoo, which concentrates on educating visitors about animals' natural environment and runs breeding programmes to return endangered species to the wild.

Now, the promotion has been named best marketing project by the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Each special pack sold also triggered a 5p donation to zoo funds by Miles, and the £3,800 raised is now being used to buy a set of special scales to weigh the zoo's elephants so their health can be regularly monitored.

Miles director Paul Marsh said the company had been happy to work with the zoo because its objectives tallied closely with Miles' own ethical sourcing policy.

"We will be running the promotion again this year to raise people's awareness about the importance of conservation," he said.