Visitors may remember that earlier this year we shared our
Green Goals for 2024. We have made fantastic progress over the last 3 months and we are proud to share the first of our quarterly updates;
Food waste in the UK is associated with around 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year. By recycling food waste, we can actively reduce our organisation’s carbon footprint.
From November 2023, all food waste from the Kingfisher Club at Riverside Holiday Village has been separated at source and removed by a licensed waste contractor. It is then taken to a local, state of the art anaerobic digestion plant where it is processed.
After processing, the solid by-product is used as a nutrient-rich organic fertiliser, coveted by farmers as a substitute for unsustainable fertilisers. The methane-rich biogas produced during the breakdown process is used either to generate renewable electricity for homes, or to produce enriched biomethane (a ‘green’ gas which can be used to provide transport fuel or to supply local homes).
Single-use plastic is a huge contributor of marine plastic pollution - studies suggest that by 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans.
In an effort to measurably reduce our plastic footprint, we have replaced a number of single-use plastic items with environmentally friendly alternatives, including; cardboard takeaway boxes, paper straws, wooden cutlery and biodegradable carrier bags. We have also replaced individual plastic sauce packets with a refillable pump station.
To help visitors avoid single-use plastic water bottles, Riverside Holiday Village has also become a recognised ‘Refill Station’, providing refills of free drinking water.
3. Sustainable Travel Options
With 41.2 million licensed vehicles on the roads in the UK (June 2023), travel is one of the major contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions.
In order to help our visitors explore more sustainable transport options, we have partnered with
Brean Bike Hire, who provide bike hire throughout Burnham-on-Sea and Brean. Brean Bike Hire offer a wide range of rental bikes (including mountain bikes, tandem bikes and kids’ bikes) which they will deliver to our guests to use for the duration of their stay.
4. Community Environmental Projects
Providing a clean and attractive destination for our visitors to enjoy not only benefits our business, it also positively impacts our local community and the wider environment. Which is why we are proud to support North Somerset Councils brand new ‘Greening the High Street’ initiative.
Aiming to implement long-term strategies for improving urban green spaces and introducing green social prescribing initiatives at Alexandra Parade in Weston-super-Mare, ‘Greening the High Street‘ aims to boost biodiversity, foster community resource and skills sharing, and create a more vibrant and welcoming environment within the urban landscape.
Our sponsorship will contribute towards supporting the ‘Greening the High Street Planters’ initiative.
5. Conservation of Wildlife and Biodiversity
Locally, nationally and globally, biodiversity is under threat from the impact of climate change and human actions. In our ongoing commitment to support the increase in biodiversity at our holiday parks, we have begun a
Riverbank Regeneration Project.
To date, we have planted 10,000 bird friendly mixed native hedging plants and 40 Alder and Willow trees along the riverbank at Riverside Holiday Village. These plants will encourage birds, bats and invertebrates by providing a much-needed source of food and shelter for our native wildlife.
So, as you can see, we’re well on our way to meeting our
Green Goals for 2024 and we look forward to updating you of our progress later in the year.
By Kim Boyd
•
December 9, 2024
We are delighted to share that Riverside Holiday Village has been named the Holiday Park of the Year at this year's Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards held at Batch Country House at Lympsham in Somerset. This award recognises holiday parks, sites and villages that provide exceptional guest experiences across static vans, touring pitches and more with a wide range of facilities and entertainment. Marketing Executive, Kim Boyd, was also named Unsung Hero . The Unsung Hero Award recognises an individual working for a tourism business who excels in their role and deserves to be applauded for their work and commitment to the industry. Awards Director Nell Barrington said “For many it has been a really challenging year but tonight was all about celebration and recognising those businesses who go above and beyond every day to ensure every visitor has a fantastic, truly memorable experience. It is great that they get recognition for all their efforts and my sincere congratulations go to them for everything they do to put Bristol, Bath, Somerset and beyond on the map.” Giles Adams from VisitSomerset continued “I am delighted that the core ethos and hard work of Somerset tourism businesses is continuously recognised. Our county is all about authenticity and giving value for money. The awards help to ensure that our consumers understand and value what we all represent by recognising and rewarding our quality offer.” Kathryn Davis from VisitWest told us “We are thrilled that so many of our businesses have been rewarded for all their incredible achievements this year with their success at the awards and look forward to seeing some of our winners hopefully progress into the national Visit England for Excellence finals next year. We have so many iconic destinations and world class experiences in the region, it is important to remember to celebrate this, and that tourism doesn’t just happen. It is thanks to the investment, creativity and hard work of these businesses that make our visitor economy so valuable, worth more than £2.5bn just to the West of England. While this sector is largely made up of many small businesses, together they are incredibly powerful and thoroughly deserve the recognition received this evening.” We would like to thank our visitors, supporters and all of our fantastic team for your support.
By Kim Boyd
•
December 2, 2024
We are ecstatic to share that West Country Parks have been named the Hospitality and Tourism Business of the Year at the prestigious Sedgemoor Business Excellence Awards 2024. This award is intended to recognise the Hospitality & Tourism business that is the most successful in Sedgemoor, detailing what makes them stand out from other businesses and how they attract customers to the area. We were also named as finalists for the Sustainable Business Award in recognition of our efforts to reduce our businesses carbon footprint. Speaking about the awards, Roger Smith, General Manager at the Bridgwater Chamber of Commerce, said; 'This year, we’ve received a record-breaking number of high-quality entries, leading to 67 incredible finalists. This outstanding response highlights the immense talent, creativity, and innovation within our local business community'. Commenting after the awards dinner which was held at The Canalside in Bridgwater, David Tattersall, Group Manager at West Country Parks, commented; 'We are thrilled to have been nominated for two awards and it's fantastic to have won one! Our business has progressed a great deal over the last few years, and it's great to have had all of our hard work recognised.' We would like to thank our visitors, supporters and all of our fantastic team for your support.
By Kim Boyd
•
November 28, 2024
We are thrilled to share that our family orientated holiday park, Riverside Holiday Village, was crowned winner of the Customer Choice Food Award for Family Fun Destinations at the staycation specialist’s 18th annual Awards – a celebration of the holiday parks, lodge resorts and boating locations in the company’s UK portfolio that have achieved the highest scores in independent guest satisfaction surveys throughout the 2024 season. Commenting after the awards were announced during a ceremony at the Hilton Metropole, in Birmingham David Tattersall, Group Manager at Riverside Holiday Village said: “It’s fantastic to be recognised for the quality of our food and it’s a testament to everyone on the team who works so hard to make sure our guests have the best possible experience when they stay with us. We are very aware that they place an enormous amount of faith in us when they choose where to go on holiday, so it’s great to know we’re getting it right." Speaking after presenting the award in front of more than 600 operators, industry suppliers and members of the Hoseasons team, Gemma Brown, General Manager at Hoseasons, said: “The team at Riverside Holiday Village are shining examples of the dedication and commitment needed to delight our guests and encourage the kind of positive reviews we know others look for when deciding where to spend their staycation. We are grateful for their continuing partnership in this our 80th year and wish them all the best for another successful season in 2025.”
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