Fair wages help earn global award for Cornish holiday park
Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park in Padstow, Cornwall, has scooped a top international accolade at this autumn’s World Responsible Tourism Awards.
And now the park’s owner, Patrick Langmaid, says he will use the honour to shine the spotlight on the principles of ethical employment and the Living Wage.
Family-run Mother Ivey’s was named by judges as the silver winner at the glittering award finals held this November at The World Travel Market in London’s Excel Centre.
The awards, founded by the Responsible Travel organisation, feature global contenders ranging from the Sri Lanka Wildlife Society to the African Ivory Route and the city of Barcelona.
A Cornwall holiday park with forward-looking policies
Mother Ivey’s award was in the “Best for Employment” category which highlights businesses with forward-looking policies across areas such as staff welfare, support and training.
Patrick has been a long-time advocate of the Living Wage, and has been presented with an award by the Living Wage Foundation for his tireless campaigning.
He says he now intends to harness the publicity from his World Responsible Tourism Award to explain the benefits of the Living Wage to other employers:
“Becoming Living Wage accredited really is one of the soundest business decisions we’ve made,” said Patrick whose family has owned Mother Ivey‘s for almost 30 years,
“We get a stable, committed and loyal workforce, and we are able to recruit the best people and invest with confidence in their training and development.
“As a result, we are able to deliver to customers a first-class service and a memorable holiday experience which, by encouraging repeat business, reduces our marketing costs.
“I have absolutely no doubt that almost every business’s long-term interests are best served by looking beyond the immediate impact of salaries on the balance sheet.
“That is the message which I hope this award will help me to spread more widely,” added Patrick.
The holiday park’s international award crowns a list of other recognitions received in recent months by Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park and its sister park Martha’s Orchard in Constantine Bay.
Both were announced in November as winners in a major UK environmental achievements scheme for tourism providers, the David Bellamy Conservation Awards.
At the recent Cornwall Tourism Awards, Mother Iveys Bay took home an award for Responsible, Ethical and Sustainable Tourism, and Martha’s Orchard won Holiday Park and Village of the Year.
Mother Ivey’s provides caravan holiday homes, both privately owned and for hire, plus touring pitches. There is more information about the park at www.motheriveysbay.com
