Devon holiday parks strike gold with Green Tourism Award

East Devon holiday parks, Ladram Bay and Castle Brake have both achieved distinguished Green Tourism Gold Awards for their commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.

The multi-award-winning parks each took home the top band of accreditation after a rigorous assessment of evidence against 15 sustainability goals under three core pillars: People, Places, and Planet. Ladram Bay and Castle Brake were commended for their stringent environmental policies, which focus on implementing and promoting best environmental practice across sites.

Wide-ranging green initiatives across both holiday parks include generating solar power across amenities, composting and reusing soil from ground works, and using local suppliers wherever possible. Biodiversity preservation is also a key focus across the parks, with nature trails and woodland walks on site, and wild areas dedicated to supporting natural habitats for plants and wildlife. Castle Brake has more than 100 bird boxes, dormouse boxes, and reptile felts to monitor local species.

Zoe House, director at Ladram Bay and Castle Brake, commented: “It’s a privilege to be recognised for our unwavering commitment to sustainability, and this award is testament to our team’s exceptional work upholding these standards across our parks.

“As a business, we have a responsibility to do whatever we can to offset our impact on the local, regional, and global environment. The onus is shared among all our employees, and we encourage them to ‘be green at all times’; a mentality that they continually advocate among our visitors. We all have a part to play in preserving our precious environment for future generations.”

Ladram Bay and Castle Brake have dedicated schemes for climate change, carbon and waste management, with a recycling and refuse compound on site and a food waste programme. The parks also have electric vehicle fleets for on-site use, and green purchasing plans to ensure all suppliers and products on site align with the parks’ sustainability values and standards.

As part of local support initiatives, Ladram Bay and Castle Brake regularly provide funding and sponsorship for community events, and volunteers for green space maintenance and repairs. The parks also recently partnered with Devon Air Ambulance as their nominated charity of the year.

Ladram Bay and Castle Brake also have on park Green Teams, comprised of staff from all areas of the business who work together to apply best practice and deliver new eco-friendly activities.

Zoe continued: “Our efforts to be greener are ongoing and we’re committed to making constant improvements. Our next steps include introducing a carbon offset scheme, replacing all boilers and heaters to A rated versions, and implementing more solar power across both parks.”

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Editors notes

To find out more about Ladram Bay, visit https://ladrambay.co.uk/. More information about Castle Brake can be found at https://castlebrake.co.uk/.