Devon English Tourism Week
Sir Geoffrey Cox MP took time out of Westminster to help a family celebrate Devon English Tourism Week at their Noteworthy Caravan and Campsite in Holworthy. The annual event, which ran until 27 March, shines a spotlight on England’s tourism sector, and the huge contribution it makes to the UK economy.
The Torridge and West Devon MP was in attendance at the invitation of Julieann and Mark Snook-Bevis who first started welcoming guests almost 20 years ago.
Sir Geoffrey Cox MP heard how the couple acquired the smallholding with the aim of breeding Angora goats and selling their mohair, alongside running courses in spinning and other crafts.
Wildlife starring on Devon Holiday Park
Their 70-strong rare-breed herd now regularly wins prizes at shows around the UK, and have even starred in television series and cinema films.
During his tour of the 12-acre grounds, Sir Geoffrey planted a beech tree near the Devon holiday park’s wildlife pond which is a magnet for dragonflies, kingfishers, newts and a raft of other species.
The tree commemorates the national Queen’s Green Canopy tree-planting programme to help celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee year in 2022.
Noteworthy, said Julieann, is a long-time holder of the David Bellamy Conservation Award at its top gold level, thanks to the many environmental and wildlife initiatives it has taken.
The holiday park, she told the MP, sustains many wildlife habitats around the grounds where hundreds of native shrubs, trees and hedging which have been planted by the couple over the years.
They have also created beds of high nectar-bearing flowers which provide a valuable food source for honey bees and the many species of butterfly which abound on the holiday park.
Sir Geoffrey saw the different staying options available at the park, including fully equipped caravan holiday homes for hire, and pitches for touring caravans, motorhomes and tents.
The MP also presented Exceptional Service Awards from Noteworthy’s professional association, the BH&HPA, to Mark Snook-Bevis and Mary Wood who lives in Holworthy.
Sustainable Tourism in Devon
Mary volunteers her time and expertise to help the family run its business on sustainable lines and put its conservation work into practice.
Julieann said the family was delighted that the MP was able to find time to visit their holiday park, and to show his support for English Tourism Week:
“Sir Geoffrey has consistently shown that he understands very well the importance of the visitor economy in his constituency, and its role in sustaining local employment. Devon English Tourism Week is just one way to highlight it,” she said.
Devon Tourism Support
“We are grateful for all of the help he has provided to our business over the years, not least through the troubling times of the pandemic when lockdowns forced our closure.
“Hopefully this will all be largely behind us now, and we are looking forward to a busy summer and helping to support other local Devon tourism businesses with our guests’ spending,” she said.
There is more information about the park at www.noteworthy-devon.co.uk
