Lancashire holiday park’s ambitious tree plan takes root

An ambitious scheme to plant 10,000 native trees at Bay View holiday park in Bolton-le-Sands, Lancashire, has now been completed by its family owners.

The last of the mixed saplings – representing two for every resident of nearby Carnforth – was placed in the soil over Easter at the popular coastal park.

Now the park’s owner, Michael Holgate, says he hopes the newly created mini-woodlands will eventually provide a massive boost to the area’s biodiversity.

Bay View enjoys spectacular vistas across Morecambe Bay – but Michael points out that the park’s former use as grazing land meant that most trees had long ago disappeared.

The new plantings, he says, will help return the landscape to how it once looked centuries ago.

Last year, TV botanist David Bellamy praised Bay View for its raft of different measures to encourage wildlife and protect the natural environment.

He awarded the park his prestigious David Bellamy Conservation Award at its top gold level, and challenged Michael Holgate to take even more eco-friendly initiatives.

Michael’s response has been the massive tree-planting project which represents around two new saplings for every person living in Carnforth with its 5,000 population.

“Trees are massively important components of our countryside, and have an impact on virtually every living thing, from insects and birds to mosses and wildlife,” said Michael.

“They also provide pollen to honey bees, and will support our work at Bay View to increase the presence of wild flowers on which honey bees and butterflies forage..

“The saplings were all sourced from within the region, and represent tree species which for thousands of years have provided habitats for endangered wildlife such as red squirrels.

“Our staff team has worked incredibly hard to get this work completed before Easter, and we’re now looking at undertaking similar projects on our other parks,” said Michael.

Bay View provides pitches for motorhomes, touring caravans and tents, and has also introduced “glamping” pods to hire, along with luxury holiday caravans to rent.

There are also caravan holiday homes to buy – and last year, the park was given consent to develop another 19 units on top of the 120 already in place.

The Holgates group, which recently marked its 60th anniversary, comprises six multi-award winning parks, including its flagship Silverdale Holiday Park not far from Bay View.