David Bellamy Gold Environmental Award

Hexham Park Is Haven For Wildlife

Posted on March 29, 2016

Hexham Park Is Haven For Wildlife

CauseyA Northumberland holiday park has received a top environmental accolade from David Bellamy.

The world-famous botanist presented Causey Hill Holiday Park in Hexham with a prestigious David Bellamy Conservation Award at its top gold level. David Bellamy said that the family owned park could congratulate itself on having created an environment which provided a VIP welcome for both wildlife and holiday guests. He praised the park’s planting of hundreds of native trees and shrubs which, along with its private woodland, provide habitats and food resources for many animal and bird species.

Park manager Linda Grant said: “We live and work in a beautiful part of Northumberland, and we are anxious to do all we can to protect the natural environment and wildlife.

“Causey Hill has a special appeal to couples and families and they are very supportive of our efforts to safeguard the surroundings here, and to help preserve this area’s very special character,” Linda added.

Family Values at Dornafield Caravan Park

Posted on June 26, 2015
The environment is a top priority for the park and it has earned a David Bellamy Conservation award at gold level since 2000.

Above: The environment is a top priority for the park and it has earned a David Bellamy Conservation award at gold level since 2000.

Family Values at Dornafield Caravan Park

Traditional family values have proven to be a winning formula for Dornafield Caravan Park in Devon.

Park owner Peter Dewhirst, who with his wife Tina, first started welcoming visitors to the former farm over 30 years ago.

Today Peter, aged 83, is helped in the day-to-day running of the business by his son Simon and daughter-in-law Linda. Situated on the doorstep of the English Riviera and Dartmoor, the multi award-winning Dornafield Caravan Park attracts thousands of visitors each year.

“Our close knit team of nine staff work tirelessly throughout the season to produce a charming and desirable holiday experience for our loyal customers,” comments Peter. “We value all of our visitors and pride ourselves on our friendly and helpful manner. This is one of the many reasons why we believe visitors come back year after year.”

Having held the prestigious AA 5-Pennant rating for 24 years and the current 5 Gold Pennant rating since its introduction three years ago, Dornafield is well-known for its pristinely landscaped grounds and first-class facilities. The focal point of the site is 13th century Devon long House which dates from 1238, just after Magna Carta and is Grade II listed. The farmyard is the park’s central hub and is the setting for barbecues and Morris dancing throughout the summer season and the surrounding farm buildings have been turned into a shop, games room and tourist information point.

The Dornafield team has supported Breast Cancer Campaign’s ‘Wear It Pink’ day for the last seven years, which has raised over £1,500.

Above: The Dornafield team has supported Breast Cancer Campaign’s ‘Wear It Pink’ day for the last seven years, which has raised over £1,500.

The 30 acre park is divided into three separate areas; the Orchard, the Buttermeadow and Blackrock Copse. The Orchard comprises of 16 grass tent pitches and is ideal for families with young children as it is enclosed by old walls and hedges. The Buttermeadow has been specially landscaped to provide spacious, level pitches which are all served by luxury toilet and shower facilities. Meanwhile Blackrock Copse is designed to offer the ultimate caravanning experience with 60 deluxe pitches complemented by the climate-controlled facilities building with heated flooring.

“We drew on our 18 years’ experience with Buttermeadow when we created Blackrock Copse and the unashamedly up-market development continues to be a talking point for many of our guests,” says Peter. “We are proud to have been Caravan Club affiliated for 23 years, so all Club members can be assured that the high standards they expect from Club Sites are more than met at Dornafield.”

The environment is also a top priority for the park and it has earned a David Bellamy Conservation award at gold level since 2000.

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East Devon Park Leads Green Tourism

Posted on November 29, 2013

The multi-award winning, family-run, Oakdown Holiday Park is the only holiday park in East Devon to hold an AA Five Star pennant.

East Devon Park Leads Green Tourism

In the past year alone, Oakdown Holiday Park on the Jurassic Coast in East Devon, has received seven coveted awards – among them a Highly Commended Visit England Award for Excellence 2013, Practical Caravan Magazine’s Best Green Site 2013 and a 16th consecutive David Bellamy Gold Environmental Award.

Oakdown is owned and run by the Franks Family; Doreen and Roger, Alastair and Andrianna and their team of dedicated staff. It is the only holiday park in East Devon to hold an AA Five Star pennant 2013/2014 – the equivalent of a top star rated hotel.

Oakdown Holiday Park is located between Branscombe and Sidmouth on the East Devon Heritage coast and lies within East Devon’s designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Its owners, The Franks family, have farmed the area for five generations, introducing the first static holiday caravan to the farm in 1951 and opening as Oakdown Holiday Park, catering for campers and touring caravans as well as statics, 21 years later.

Now, with 16 luxurious caravan leisure lodges, 150 landscaped pitches for touring caravans, motor homes and tents and 55 privately owned caravan holiday homes, the 20 acre park welcomes several hundred guests during peak season weeks and 2013 has been a very busy year for the family run park with the beautiful British sunshine making an all important appearance.

The Franks continue to work hard to maintain a consistently high level of customer satisfaction and strive to be top of the game in all aspects of holiday park life. The driving factor behind what they do came from the vision to become a ‘green’ holiday park - a vision that was established before the concept of green tourism was even invented. Oakdown was the recipient of one of the very first David Bellamy Gold Environmental Awards in 1997 – an accolade it has continued to be awarded every year for the past 16 years.