THE renowned botanist, environmental campaigner and broadcaster, Professor David Bellamy, has named Harford Bridge Holiday Park at Peter Tavy as one of the UK's greenest holiday spots — for the 16th year in succession.

The 'Gold Conservation Award' is a top annual accolade for protecting and enhancing the natural world.

For more than 25 years the Williamson family have managed the special 16-acre riverside meadow and broadleaf trees on the park. Some of the park's oak pollards that line the River Tavy are over 200 years old. The park is a natural haven for birds, hedgehogs and other small mammals and wildlife. Wild flowers have been re-introduced in marginal areas and the trees managed to enhance the natural beauty of the river valley.

The park team's efforts won them a silver award in 1997 — but it's been gold all the way since then.

The award is described by Professor Bellamy as the 'Green Olympics' for holiday parks.

Prof Bellamy said: 'Many parks like this have created wildlife wonderlands, and I think it's time they were given deserved recognition for their big commitment.

'Britain's parks are bursting with bio-diversity. They are the nation's favourite getaway-from-it-all locations, and also a major point of contact between people and the countryside.

'They are therefore very important centres of education, and a wonderful place to go and experience wrap-around nature.'

Harford Bridge Park's award was made following a detailed audit of the park's environmental policies, supported by comments made by guests. The audit covered many issues – ranging from aspects such as the care of hedgerows and wild flowers, to the siting of bird-boxes and the development and protection of reed beds and wildlife ponds.

Professor Bellamy has also looked at aspects of park management which do not directly affect the immediate environment, but which are important in overall conservation terms – such as the use of unbleached paper for holiday brochures, installing long-life light bulbs and re-cycling waste.

Paul Williamson said the team was delighted to have once again been judged worthy of a gold award.

He said plans for 2014 included re-introducing more species of wild flowers once common in the area — and further protection of a now endangered species — the hedgehog.

Paul said: 'Hedgehogs have a strong presence at Harford Bridge Park and we do our best to safeguard their habitat and encourage them to breed on the park.

'Our Facebook page from 2012 has a story about one delivering her hoglets under a guest's tent groundsheet while the campers were sleeping in the tent!'

To top off a great week, the park has also been given a Dartmoor First award by the national park, in recognition of its commitment to sustaining Dartmoor and its special qualities.