Praise for holiday park’s secret wood aiding animals in crisis

A Somerset holiday park which has helped release hundreds of birds and animals into its woodlands has been praised by the charity behind the scheme.

Holiday Resort Unity in Brean Sands has been working this year with Secret World Wildlife Rescue to give crisis-stricken creatures a fresh start in life.

Each has been cared for by the charity following injury, sickness, or being abandoned by its parents – and then put back into their natural habitat on the park.

Now Holiday Resort Unity has celebrated its successful partnership by naming its two acres of woodland after the volunteer-led charity.

From now on, it will be known at the park and on local maps as Secret Wood.

Secret World Wildlife Rescue says it is “incredibly grateful” to the park for the help of its ground team, and for allowing pre-release pens and aviaries to be constructed in the wood.

Holiday park guests can observe wildlife up close

The park has also built a new bird hide so that holiday guests can observe the wildlife undisturbed in its natural state in Secret Wood.

The charity is one of the South West’s leading wildlife rescue organisations, and each year cares for more than 5,000 animals which might otherwise have perished.

It says that the woodlands at Holiday Resort Unity are ideal because of its carefully managed eco-system and the canal which runs through its heart.

Mick Rayner, head gardener at the multi-award winning park, said the partnership had multiple benefits:

“The Secret Wood is the final phase of a major three-year conservation project to help safeguard all wildlife and the natural environment at Holiday Resort Unity.

“Next year we will also be launching an educational programme to encourage our guests to engage even more closely with our conservation work here.

“We’re especially keen on involving youngsters, and are planning a wide range of interactive events including those associated with our animal release work,” said Mick.

Holiday Resort Unity, which has been family-run for over 70 years, is one of the Somerset coast’s largest and most popular parks with holiday homes to let and buy.

There is more information about the park on its website at www.hru.co.uk The work of Secret World Wildlife rescue is explained at www.secretworld.org