David Bellamy Blooming Marvellous Scheme

Update from Claire Hack, Reception & Reservations team member (and wildlife enthusiast!)

“As we move on through the year into finer weather, longer days and beautiful sunsets, when staying on Park there isn’t a day that goes by where nature isn’t putting on a spectacular show for us. We know that it is one of the many reasons that makes Kelling Heath and Woodhill Park so special, and indeed why many of you choose the Parks for Holiday Homeownership. 

We are proud to have been part of the David Bellamy Blooming Marvellous Pledge for Nature Award scheme since it started back in 1997! 

Blue Sky Leisure’s synergy with our natural environment was exactly what drew me to working at Kelling Heath Holiday Park from my previous 7 years with the National Trust, so as you can imagine I am very excited to have been asked to be part of the awards team to help collate all the wonderful things that are happening at both Parks over the year and to send regular updates to the awards panel.

The Blooming Marvellous Pledge builds on the amazing work done under the David Bellamy Conservation Award Scheme, which ran for over 25 years.  The Scheme was set up by the British Holiday & Home Parks Association (BH&HPA) and Professor David Bellamy, who was one of the UK’s leading environmentalists.  The Pledge honours his legacy and his practical and pragmatic approach to nature conservation.  David dedicated his life to encouraging people to get out into the countryside so that they could experience and value nature. The pledge continues this vital work.

The pledge works by asking each Park to commit to starting at least one big project to help nature.  Under headings of their choosing, and I’m so proud to say that for 2022 Kelling Heath took on not just one challenge, but two! We really hope that you are all enjoying the benefit of this, just as much as our natural environment seems to be. The two projects were Super Signage – a challenge aimed at providing environmental information and interpretation to help everyone enjoy the wildlife on Park. Lucy Cook, our Marketing Manager did a stunning job with this, commissioning a specialist company and artist to illustrate our beautiful Park into signage, with 15 different information boards at nature spots throughout the Park. Have you seen them all yet?

We are also proud to be using our own sustainably felled chestnut timber to gradually replace all of the trail markers and posts across Park.

Our second pledge was Home Sweet Home. Our Countryside team set to work and made over 45 wildlife boxes and placed them around the Park. These include nesting boxes, bat boxes and even a lovely new red squirrel home for our Red Squirrel breeding programme. Keep your eyes to the skies to see an owl box, (or maybe that should be an owl ‘Hoot’el?) placed high up in a tree near the early 600 plots."