At West Country Parks / Riverside Holiday Village we are committed to taking a proactive approach to help preserve the natural world for future generations to enjoy
The following Green Objectives provide an outline of how we will contribute to protecting and enhancing the environment over the next 12 months and beyond.
We have already taken huge strides to reduce our environmental impact, committing to a three-phase plan with zero carbon specialists Energy Oasis, which will see our holiday parks
save a combined 58.50 tonnes of carbon per year (the equivalent of planting 2,690 trees every single year). We have also taken the
David Bellamy Blooming Marvellous Pledge for Nature, and this year (2023) Riverside Holiday Village was awarded a
‘Silver’ Green Tourism Award.
However, we recognise there is still lots to do and we look forward to working with our colleagues, partners and visitors as we continue our ‘green’ journey.
1.1 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.
We will implement possible sponsorship opportunities for West Country Parks / Riverside Holiday village to support local litter picking / environmental groups.
Plastic bags cause the death of an estimated 100,000 marine animals globally and studies suggest that by 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans. Single-use plastic (like straws, coffee cups, packaging and bags) is a huge contributor of marine plastic pollution. These are all impossible or very difficult to recycle and mostly end up at sea or in landfill.
At Riverside Holiday Village, we have committed to measurably reduce our organisations plastic footprint.
With the support of
Plastic Free Communities, we will;
- Avoid plastic bottles
- Avoid plastic containers
- Ditch plastic bags
- Ditch plastic cups and cutlery
- Refill soap dispensers
We will also become a recognised ‘Refill Station’, providing refills of free drinking water for visitors.
As part of our ongoing waste management plan, we will investigate the feasibility of a) composting organic waste on site, or b) sending organic waste to a licensed waste contractor for commercial composting.
We will also reduce our organic waste by introducing wildlife areas where the grass is cut less frequently (see 3.1 Conservation of Wildlife and Biodiversity).
3.1 Conservation of Wildlife and Biodiversity
Locally, nationally and globally, biodiversity is under threat from the impact of climate change and human actions. Riverside Holiday Village have committed to looking after our green areas in a sympathetic and appropriate way in order to support the increase in biodiversity.
We will;
- Implement a meadow management regime of the grassland area at the rear of the park
- Reestablish the hedgerow at the rear of the park
3.2 Habitats and Refuges for Wildlife
The extensive areas of ‘natural’ habitats at several of our holiday parks provide the ideal opportunity for us to further support native biodiversity by creating wildlife refuges and habitats for native species.
West Country Parks have committed to creating the following habitats and refuges;
- Pollinator patches, where bees, butterflies and other insects can get food
- Additional wildlife ponds
- Bird and bat boxes
- Otter Holts
4.1 Renewable Energy and Carbon Management
We have already taken huge strides to ensure that our business uses renewable energy across our holiday parks. Our new multi-park solar panel installation has already improved the sustainability of our business, as well as reducing our overall environmental impact.
However, we aim to take our on-site renewable generation even further. With the support of Energy Oasis, we will conduct a feasibility study into the suitability of utilising hydro and wind energy.
We look forward to updating you of our progress throughout the year. Find out more about our
Green Policy.
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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