Parkdean Resorts, the UK’s leading holiday park operator, has successfully planted 3,000 trees and shrubs on 1.9 hectares of former farmland at White Acres Holiday Park, near Newquay, as part of its commitment to caring for its parks, people and planet. To celebrate the milestone, Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay, was invited to the park to see the foliage and to plant a ceremonial tree.
The trees were planted as part of the company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance strategy, ‘Caring for our Parks, People, and Planet’. Launched this year, one of the key priorities of the programme is creating Space for Nature, which includes a commitment to plant 3,000 trees per year. White Acres is the first park to undertake this planting task, and the team worked with The Woodland Trust and tree-planting consultants to map the land and existing biodiversity, creating a planting plan that enhances the area with a wide range of habitats to attract the greatest variety of wildlife species to the area.
The trees have been carefully selected and include a mixture of broadleaf species that are native to the UK and benefit the surrounding wildlife in different ways. Alongside 2,400 trees are 600 shrubs, which will add further variety to the planting.
All trees were sourced in the UK and planting was done by an expert team of volunteers from The Woodland Trust. The trees will be registered with both the Queen’s Green Canopy, a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, and the Forest for Cornwall, a similar initiative from Cornwall council.
Jane Bates, Director of Sustainability and Procurement, Parkdean Resorts, said: “We want to create a positive social and environmental impact, and our mission is to put sustainability at the heart of staycations. Caring for our parks and investing in protecting and enhancing our natural spaces is a fundamental part of this. This is an important step in our industry-leading strategy to create truly sustainable parks.”
Anna Doyle, General Manager, White Acres Holiday Park, added: “We know how important it is to care for our planet so we’re thrilled that White Acres is the first park to be chosen for this tree-planting initiative. The whole team are proud of where we live and love having the opportunity to make a positive environmental impact in Cornwall.”
Parkdean Resorts is committed to caring for its parks, people, and planet to create a positive environmental impact on nature and resources, and to acting responsibly for the long-term sustainability of its business.
Other commitments the business is aiming to achieve by 2025 include attracting and developing diverse talent, reducing CO2 by 25%, a 75% reduction in waste to landfill, and the publication of an annual report detailing how it will care for its Parks, People, and Planet. As part of these commitments, the company is working on creating a blueprint for two Sustainable Parks in Dorset – Warmwell and Sandford, with successful initiatives to be rolled out in future across other parks within its estate.
White Acres Holiday Park welcomes Steve Double MP to celebrate planting 3,000 trees and shrubs
