We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded the David Bellamy Gold Conservation Award for the 22nd year. One of the longest-running green tourism awards in the country, the David Bellamy Conservation Award Scheme assesses holiday parks on a number of criteria, including:
- How the land is managed as a haven for wildlife
- Use of energy, water and other resources
- Local community support
- Steps taken to reduce, reuse and recycle waste
In this article, we take a look at some of the factors that earned Searles the David Bellamy Gold Conservation Award as well as our community work, and some of the upcoming green initiatives.
DAVID BELLAMY CONSERVATION AWARD
Our continued recognition by the David Bellamy Conservation Award is a source of pride for everyone connected to the Searles Leisure Resort family. Indeed, the values of the David Bellamy Conservation Scheme align very closely with our own environmental and community focussed values.
To attain the Gold Award for the 22nd year, Searles Leisure Resort were able to demonstrate our continued commitment to maintaining a green holiday park by encouraging the protection of the local environment, including plant life and the local wildlife, as well as the progress we have made in conserving energy, water and other resources.
Cultivating nature and wildlife is a key part of the Searles ethos, and the resort has many wonderful formal and raised gardens throughout the park, while Lavender and Buddleia have been planted in some of our gardens to encourage and support the continued growth of wildlife.
HONEY BEE PLEDGE
Some of the most important wildlife we support at Searles are our local honey bees. As part of our commitment to the David Bellamy conservation scheme, we have entered into the ‘Honey Bee Pledge’ to show our commitment to the conservation of our bee population. To support the honey bees we have introduced a number of plants into our gardens, including Buddleia, Hebe and Michaelmas. We have also introduced two ‘Bee Stations’, near to the Beach Entrance. These bee pit stops are full of nectar-rich bee food, and have been situated in a location to minimise human interference.
SEARLES LOCAL COMMUNITY WORK
Another key consideration for the David Bellamy Conservation Award is that of community work. At Searles Leisure we are proud to lead the way in a number of green initiatives in the local community. As part of Hunstanton in Bloom, we are responsible for the maintenance of the neighbouring boat bed positioned just outside our entrance, as well as providing wildflower seed to some of the areas adjacent to the boat bed.
We are also proud supporters of the local Princess Theatre, as well as sponsors of Anglia in Bloom and the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. We are active in raising money for many charitable causes; in 2018 our nominated charity was Down Syndrome Norfolk, while in 2019 we are supporting the British Heart Foundation.
At Searles we are always looking for fun new ways to foster the enjoyment of nature, and to raise awareness of the importance of recycling. One of our latest initiatives is ‘Grow a Garden’, an indoor activity for children aged 0-8 years old which we hope will get children excited about nature through a series of games and activities based around gardening. Children will also have the opportunity to learn about different plants and flowers, as well as being able to grow a ‘Cress Head’, which they can then take home and care for.
Enjoy our wonderfully green leisure resort for yourself and book a stay at Searles Leisure Resort, the 2019 AA Holiday Centre of the Year.