Green Goals and Inclusivity Updates, Quarter 2, 2025
Six months have passed since we shared our
Green Goals for 2025 and we continue to make fantastic progress!
Between January and March 2025; The Kingfisher Club at Riverside Holiday Village joined the growing community of 5,100 Warm Welcome Spaces across the UK, we committed to join the Surfers Against Sewage Million Mile Clean, created and published a comprehensive Access Guide for Riverside Holiday Village, installed a new Hearing Loop System and purchased a specialist 'All Terrain' Wheelchair for visitors to borrow.
And our momentum hasn't slowed down during the Spring! In recognition of our businesses commitment to achieving a positive and long-term impact on the environment, this March, Riverside Holiday Village was awarded the Environmental and Sustainability Award at the prestigious Somerset Business Awards 2025.
1. Community Environmental Projects
1.1 West Country Parks join the Million Mile Clean
5 months ago, we completed our first Million Mile Clean, collecting 11 sacks of litter over 2 miles, and this September, we're doing it all over again. But this time, we're adding in an extra mile!
Providing a clean and attractive destination for our visitors to enjoy not only benefits our business, it also positively impacts our local community and the wider environment. Which is why we have committed to join Surfers Against Sewage Million Mile Clean.
Now the biggest initiative of its kind in the UK, the Million Mile Clean is an annual event, mobilising 1,000,000 million volunteers to clean over 10,000,000 miles of UK landscape between 2021 - 2030.
Find out more about our September Million Mile Clean
1.2 West Country Parks joins the North Somerset Bat Survey
This September, West Country Parks will join the North Somerset Bat Survey. Led by the Bat Conservation Lab at the University of Bath and in partnership with BTO, North Somerset Council and the Avon Wildlife Trust, the North Somerset Bat Survey aims to collect data on bats across the county, whilst engaging the public with bat conservation.
For 6 nights, we will deploy two ultrasonic bat detectors at Riverside Holiday Village to monitor the activities of any bat species around our holiday park.
1.3 West Country Parks join the Big Butterfly count for the second consecutive year
Last August, several of our parks undertook the Big Butterfly Count, and this summer we're going to involve even more of our team.
This annual citizen science programme, which is now in its 16th year, attracts tens of thousands of people out into their gardens, local green spaces or the countryside to spend 15 minutes counting butterflies and helping to track trends and inform conservation action.
After declining numbers of butterflies resulted in the charity declaring a nationwide Butterfly Emergency last year, it’s more important than ever that people take part in 2025.
2. Waste
2.1 Tackling Single-Use Plastics
This May, our popular Riverside Holiday Village was awarded the Silver Plastic Free Champion Award by Surfers Against Sewage.
Launched by Surfers Against Sewage and supported by Cleaner Coastlines and Plastic Free Weston-super-Mare, the Plastic Free Champion Award is presented to businesses who demonstrate their commitment to tackling single-use plastic items in their business.
Visitors to the Kingfisher Club at Riverside Holiday Village will notice that plastic takeaway cutlery has been replaced by sustainably sourced and biodegradable wooden alternatives. We are also using compostable takeaway coffee cups, and our takeaway burger boxes are made from rapidly renewable sugarcane pulp (a by product of the sugar refining industry) and other plant fibres. Plastic carrier bags have also been replaced by brown paper takeaway food bags.
So, as you can see, we’re well on our way to meeting our Green Goals for 2025 and we look forward to updating you of our progress later in the year.
