Devon holiday park to harvest sunbeams in £300k green energy drive

Ladram Bay Holiday Park is set to sink around £300,000 into an ambitious new green energy project – with the benefits being felt by both guests and the environment.

The Devon family-owned holiday park in will install a state-of-the-art solar energy system across various buildings in its grounds this winter.

Energy experts forecast that after the work is completed, Ladram Bay will be preventing a massive 171 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually from entering the atmosphere.

The super-efficient solar panels will work even on overcast days, providing energy and hot water which will see a huge reduction in the park’s carbon footprint.

This latest move joins a raft of other recent eco-friendly measures taken by Ladram Bay, and which are already benefitting the environment.

They include a solar-powered litter bin which crushes waste by up to 90%, new energy-efficient boilers, and an extension of the park’s ban on single-use plastics.

New plantings of native trees and shrubs have also taken place, and the park’s brochure size has been halved to A5 in order to minimise paper waste.

Director Zoe House, who is a member of the park-owning Carter family, said that caring for the natural world has long been a key element of the park’s philosophy:

“We first started welcoming holiday guests to Ladram Bay Holiday Park more than seventy years ago when it was a farm owned by my parents,” she said.

“Our agricultural roots have remained very important to us, and which is why our family tries to make sustainability a key factor in all of our business decisions.

“Helping us achieve this is our amazing ground team who work year-round on our various projects, and who often contribute great ideas of their own,” added Zoe.

News of the new green energy investment came as the park was named this autumn as a winner of the David Bellamy Conservation Award at its top gold level.

A long-time holder of the annually presented accolade, is was given following an in-depth survey of the park and its policies by Professor Bellamy’s assessment team.

They praised the park’s large areas of wild flower plantings which provide vital foraging for honey bees and butterflies, and the many wildlife habitats created in the grounds.

Ladram Bay offers holiday caravans and lodges to rent or to own, plus glamping pods, and pitches for touring caravans, motorhomes and tents.

There is more about the park, and its many family-friendly attractions and entertainment facilities, at www.ladrambay.co.uk