FAMILY PARK IS A ROLE MODEL FOR GREEN TOURISM

Conservationist David Bellamy has told the family owners of a Herefordshire holiday park that they have become role models for ‘green tourism’ in Britain.

    Professor Bellamy made his comments when he announced recently that Woodside Country Park in Ledbury had scooped his annual conservation award at its top gold level for the eighth year in succession.

The prestigious accolade is made to park-tourism businesses which can demonstrate exceptional achievements in protecting and enhancing the natural world.

Park owners Ken and Janet Davies and their family, said Bellamy, have created a ‘wildlife wonderland’ on the 28-acre park which they originally bought as a smallholding 45 years ago. Today it provides luxury Scandinavian log cabins for hire.

According to 82-year-old Ken, who still plays an active role in managing the park, Woodside has always followed a green agenda when making improvements. These include, in recent years, the construction of a series of ponds which are now a magnet for different aquatic wildlife including kingfishers, newts, dragonflies and wetland plants.

Hundreds of native trees and hedges have been planted, as well as wild flowers with high pollen-bearing blooms which attract a wide range of common and less familiar butterfly species.

Also, in recent times, a converted barn on the park has been provided with a special roof which allowS the resident bats to flourish and also encourages nesting swallows.

More details from www.woodsidelodges.co.uk

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