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SUSTAINABILITY AT HEART

Our Goals for 2024

  • Achieve 55% recycle rate across the site.

  • Reduce our energy consumption by 3% compared to 2023.

  • Continue to develop our conservation programme which includes continued rewilding across the resort and creating more habitats for flora and fauna.

  • To reduce packaging wherever possible.

Our wildlife and environment are important to us. Without the care and consideration of both, we wouldn’t be able to provide our guests and future generations to come with scenic settings and lush grounds to enjoy their holidays on.

In 2023, with the amazing support of our guests, we achieved a 51% recycle rate across the resort. We also put in place energy reduction campaigns across the resort and further developed our amazing conservation and biodiversity plans. This year we have set our sustainability targets high, considering it in every decision that we make.

 

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MIXED RECYCLING and waste

To help guests recycle just as they do at home, we provide mixed recycling throughout the resort. We accept glass, cans, tins, plastic, paper, and cardboard. All our food venues are also recycling their food waste to be turned into biofuel and fertilizer. Even the recycling bins have been recycled and can be found on all the main routes within the resort.

Any waste that cannot be recycled is sent to an incinerator for energy recovery, not landfill. To prevent rubbish lorries sitting on the M5 every day, we have also purchased two waste compactors, these squash all our waste into bales, which can then be collected less frequently.

FOOD RECYCLING

All our Food and beverage team members are trained to be Guardians of Grub, this is a Nationwide initiative to educate and reduce food waste across the sector.

Any food waste and plate scrapings we have at our venues are weighed so we know how we are doing and then recycled. It is sent to an anaerobic digester to be converted into Biofuel and fertilizers; this fertilizer goes onto fields to grow more food – creating a great circular economy.  

OTHER RECYCLING

All gardening waste is composted to be used again on our flower beds and we have extra recycling streams at our distribution centre to make sure we can divert as much as possible away from landfills. We also work with the British Heart Foundation who we send any furniture and fittings that are no longer needed so they can be sold in their shops.

 

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

All waste and recycling are taken to Avonmouth, just South of Bristol. Recycling is sorted and taken on for further processing and your general waste is sent to an incinerator for energy recovery, importantly, not to a landfill.

 

ENERGY USAGE

We monitor our energy usage daily to ensure electricity is used efficiently. Our goal for 2024 is to reduce our energy use by 3% across the site by working with our teams to create the most energy-efficient practices within each department but also investing in new technology where suitable.

Much of our resort has LED lighting, and we are working on completing this transition over the next year. We have also moved almost all our landscaping machinery to electric rather than petrol-powered.

Our Leisure centre is powered by 900 solar panels, and we also have a biomass boiler that burns sustainably sourced wood pellets and heats our indoor pool and communal areas to keep it at the perfect temperature. The energy produced between these two creates enough energy to power 142 houses.

With the leisure centre, caravans, and golf course, we are conscious of the amount of water that we use across the resort. Our water meters are all monitored closely to identify any leaks and we harvest rainwater to help keep the golf course green. We are currently reviewing waterless urinals and already have high-pressure showers and taps in place to further reduce water use.

Brean Splash Outside
What else are we doing?

As well as making sure we recycle as much as possible and use as much green energy as we can, we are doing other small things to help:

  • All menus have been designed to ensure we produce the least amount of waste possible.
  • At the Country Club you will regularly see local produce; whether it's honey from our own bees or herbs and seasonal produce such as rhubarb and apples from our gardens.
  • Over the coming months, we will be working closely with our suppliers to ensure their sustainability is in line with our own and offer even more local produce at all our main dining venues. As well as our supermarket – keep an eye out for our local stickers indicating products sourced within 20 miles of us.
EV

As we continue to reduce our onsite carbon footprint, we are moving our Holiday Resort Unity vehicles over to electric. We are also increasing the amount of EV charging points throughout the site. We have three charging points in the car park next to our onsite Supermarket, as well as one in the Brean Country Club car park.

Our landscaping equipment is in the process of being moved over to electric, which produces less fumes but is also far quieter.

HRU EV CHARGING
AWARDS

We have received many awards over the years such as Gold standard energy efficiency and Eco Pool award, Gold David Bellamy Award, Gold Green tourism award, Silver in sustainability at the Bath, Bristol, and Somerset Awards, and a finalist at the Somerset Business Awards. We are also in the process of being accredited with the ECOsmart award, an independent assessment for venues that demonstrate sustainable operations and approaches.

HRU Awards 03
UK Pool & Spa Gold Standard Award
HRU Awards 02
David Bellamy Conservation Gold Award
HRU Awards 04
Green Tourism Gold Award
HRU Awards 01
Bath, Bristol & Somerset Tourism Silver Award
HRU Awards 05
Somerset Business Awards Shortlist
HRU Awards 06
BBKA Honey Bee Friendly Park
CONSERVATION

We already do a lot of conservation work and have a lot of exciting projects in the pipeline.

Over the last 7 years we have reintroduced water voles throughout the site, we also have rare great crested newts, and numerous breeding pairs of moorhens, coots, and recently native crucian carp were introduced to our golf lakes. We also have up to 50 beehives at any one time around the site and have been awarded BBK Honey Bee Friendly Park Award.

We have planted 8000 hawthorn whip habitats and are currently planting 27,000 trees over the next five years to encourage new wildlife corridors and create safe havens for migratory birds. Importantly, we are growing almost all these trees from seed at our nursery as well as many of all other plants around the resort.

 

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Wildlife

Our ‘Secret wood’ is something we are very proud of, as well as a haven for our local wildlife, it is also a release site for the local charities RSPCA and Secret World for any injured birds and animals such as hedgehogs and rabbits. We have 80 nest and bat boxes dotted around our trees (in case you were wondering if it has a number on it is a nest box, if it has a letter on it, it is a bat box).

For any budding naturalists, we run a fantastic wild walk, talk, and tour of our native wildlife friends and often team up with Secret World wildlife rescue centre and Berrow Conservation Group and to run walks further onto the beach as well as running beach clean-ups. Make sure you keep an eye out of our wicker animals hiding in the hedgerows and if you see any real wildlife, tick these off on the wildlife spotter on your app and take a photo if you can, we will then add these to the Great Somerset Wildlife Count.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?
  1. Reduce your use of packaging – bring your reusable cups, bags, and glasses, and if you do need to use plastic, pop it into our recycling area when you finish.
  2. Turn off the lights and heating when you leave your accommodation.
  3. Going to the beach? Then pick up two pieces of litter on your way back. If everyone does this, it will make a huge difference.
  4. Leave no trace – whether it’s on the beach or your pitch, take everything home with you that you came with, leaving rubbish and camping items are damaging to the environment, our wildlife, and other guests.
  5. Walk instead of drive.
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