A Brean holiday park’s efforts to create a wildlife haven have been featured in a BBC TV show.
Holiday Resort Unity’s Head Gardener Mick Rayner appeared on the BBC’s Hugh’s Wild West, where chef and conservation enthusiast Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall interviewed him on the task of keeping the balance between tourism and protecting wildlife and the environment.
Mick, pictured here, has made it his mission to create a wildlife haven within the resort and it already has a thriving conservation area which he has transformed over the last four years.
Each year, the park is adding more to attract wildlife and support the natural environment, clearing the waterways, planting trees and hedgerows, installing bird boxes, bee and bug houses.
Holder of the Gold David Bellamy Conservation Awards for the last few years amidst the thousands of holidaymakers and day visitors, it has also managed to achieve the BBKA (British Beekeepers’ Association) Honey Bee Friendly Park, and achieved a ‘5 in 5 Award’ for its hedgerows.
Alan House, Director, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Over the last few years we have undoubtedly seen a vast increase in the amount of birds and wildlife we have attracted.”
“Rabbits, kingfishers, stoats, green woodpeckers, owls, various varieties of butterfly and many more species have been spotted across the resort, proving that you can maintain a balance between what is seen from the outside as “mass tourism” and conservation.”
“This year, the David Bellamy 5 in 5 is focussing on wildflower meadows, so it is our aim to increase these areas by 50%. We will also be giving our owners packets of wildflower seeds and encouraging them to use them both on site and at home.”
“The holiday park also has a “grow your own” plot and much of the produce is used in The Tavern.”
“We are very lucky to have Mick and an enthusiastic Team Brean Green Team who are dedicated to ensuring that the impact our visitors have on our environment remains at a minimum, not just in terms of wildlife and conservation, but also waste and recycling.”
Large holidays parks are synonymous with a lot of waste, as a result of packaging and the sheer volume of people that pass through.
However, this year the holiday park tells Burnham-On-Sea.com it is also looking at minimising its use of plastics wherever possible and looking at further ways to enhance its environmental and sustainable policies.
The resort has already started working on the first phase of the Litter Free Coast & Sea Business Award, much of which has already been achieved.
You can see the BBC TV episode here, and the feature on Holiday Resort Unity appears approximately 20 minutes into the feature.
