Professor David Bellamy GOLD Conservation Award

This is a prestigious annual accreditation given to parks with Lodges for sale for encouraging wildlife and protecting the environment. Here at Highfields we have held this top accolade every year since the park first opened. The assessment covers many environmental issues – ranging from aspects such as the care of hedgerows and wild flowers to the sitting of bird boxes and the development and protection of reed beds, wildlife ponds and lakes. Professor Bellamy also looks at aspects of park management which do not directly affect the immediate environment, but which are important in overall conservation terms, such as sensible water management systems, the utilisation of long-life light bulbs, recycling of waste and our interaction/contribution to the local community and economy.

Quality in Tourism 5 Star Grading

These accreditations are awarded annually by the UK Tourist board for quality and service in a range of areas that contribute to our customer overall experience at Highfields, with 5 Stars being the highest level and hence most sought after/difficult to achieve. Highfields Retreat hold the 5 Star Accolade and has done since inception, with the most recent comment from the assessors being :-

“Congratulations are to be given to the proprietors and management for the standards achieved. “A very pleasing 5 Star result in a year which has seen the introduction of the new (tougher) standards. The retreat sits very comfortably in the five star banding with most attentive management ensuring that standards are being maintained and enhanced.”

Professor David Bellamy’s Special Distinction (by nomination only)

This is a highly sought after and elusive conservation award within the parks industry, which can only be achieved following an assessors nomination following the normal conservation award assessment, with Professor Bellamy then personally deciding upon the winners.

Professor David Bellamy said “Only a very small handful of parks receive this special award each year, in recognition of their environmental work being truly innovative and something of which they should be rightly proud. The aim of this award is to give these dedicated parks and their staff a ‘big pat on the back’ and to motivate them to come up with even more good ideas in the future”

He continued ‘I have chosen Highfields Retreat to receive this well-deserved award for the development work they have done on the grassland and woodland areas around the park, the investment they have made in habitat retention and especially for the new Wildlife Hide in the woodland’.