Rufus Bellamy excited to announce this year’s award-winning parks
Hundreds of holiday and residential parks who reach out to their local communities will be recognised during this year’s David Bellamy Conservation Awards, it has been announced.
Assessments for the 2015 accolade winners are now coming in and scheme organiser Rufus Bellamy is excited to celebrate parks acting as “good neighbours”.
According to Bellamy, son of famed environmental campaigner, David Bellamy, early assessor’s feedback has demonstrated a bunch of initiatives introduced by many caravan parks are now making a huge difference to many people’s’ lives across the UK.
These initiatives include parks opening up their grounds for school nature projects and wildlife discovery walks, to those organising projects such as litter picking and beach clean-up operations. In addition parks are becoming more involved in local sports and arts organisations, and are also introducing life theatre and musical performances in their grounds.
According to Bellamy junior, charity fundraising is where he believes most parks excel. Often located throughout the UK, the many fundraisers seen across the year provide a huge boost to many good causes that are often locally based. This is where parks have proven themselves to be particularly enterprising, with business owners and staff taking part in a host of different sponsored events, including
bike rides, marathons and tough Royal Marine assault courses to name a few.
Award-winning manager of Beverly Holidays, Nicola Furneaux, and manager, Katy Lamsin, of Whitehill Country Park, both took on the Royal Marines 10k Commando Challenge and raised almost £700.00 for Devon Air Ambulance.
Parks also do other charitable things too, with one park donating abandoned tents by guests to a charity working in Africa, whilst another provides free holidays to disadvantaged families for every 100th booking it receives.
Bellamy said: “The David Bellamy Conservation Award Scheme does, of course, put a major emphasis on how parks work to protect their natural environment.”
This year, Bellamy said that assessors have unveiled many great new initiatives, which willl be used to show just how many ways there are for parks to reach out.
In September, the names of the 500-plus expected to receive a David Bellamy Conservation Award this year at gold, silver and bronze levels will be announced.
