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A holiday park near Looe is blazing a trail in offsetting its carbon footprint by investing in local businesses. Tregoad Holiday Park creates 170 tonnes of emissions per annum and is helping tackle the issue by putting £2,500 towards the planting of two fields – around five acres – of herbal ley at Higher Kestle Farm in St Ewe, to also help ‘slow the flow’ to Mevaggisey.
Figure 11 4th July Cutting in preparation
The Net Zero Planning Pathway service, was developed by Truro-based social enterprise Climate Vision in the summer of 2021, bringing together all the relevant initiatives, stories and catalysts, and things to avoid, in one place. It involves bringing staff along, so businesses do not have to rely on a consultant or a specific system, but have the knowledge themselves to start addressing the important things, such as energy use and transport. Director Luci Isaacson BEM introduced the Tregoad team to farm manager Richard Lobb and drew up a one-year agreement that would enable them to trial the innovative local offsetting solution.
“I’m chuffed to bits to work towards closing the loop on flooding,” said Luci. “This solution sequesters emissions and helps the farmer, unlike many schemes that see businesses offsetting their carbon footprint abroad, this arrangement keeps it all local. It’s a win-win situation.”
“Government legislation requires businesses across the county to cut emissions by 78% by 2035. Collaborations like this would help Cornwall to achieve that target.”
Last year Tregoad started Net Zero Pathway Planning with Climate Vision, which means laying the cards on the table about where we are, looking at the climate risks to business properly, but also realising the opportunities as we adapt and mitigate having calculated how much carbon we release to atmosphere. After settling into the vision, the staff enjoyed a meeting dedicated to presenting the state of play, to fully enable them to grasp it and apply it to their experience, skills and job. Incredible innovation starts to spark, mostly inspired by helpful stories, and understanding about a few key trusted messengers along the way. While the holiday park is expanding, counting emissions and training staff to be able to continue counting is key, in this case, resulting in a figure of 170 tonnes to plant to reduce over the coming year.
Figure 2 14th July Cutting in preparation
Climate Vision works with businesses, communities, farmers, policy makers, local authorities, and ordinary people who are not involved in this topic, to help see and promote the benefits of our landscapes by working together, enabling everyone’s problems to link, and easily “close the {landscape} loop” a term people are familiar with, (in recycling & economics), that can be used to help people better visualise and understand solutions to three sets of linked problems. This is a national problem and Cornwall is well placed to boost the Green Industrial Revolution (see us on Instagram with this GIR story). The Agricultural Revolution is well underway, reaching out to join up the areas across England, by communicating and enabling a wider audience to see the bigger climate picture. It affects all the criteria, making more linkages possible and sustainably ongoing.
Much of our work is voluntary, because it is hard for people to VISION climate change, the risks, and opportunities. Even funders and organisations in this realm find stories like this hard to digest – as it is multi-faceted, but ultimately – closing the loop. The need for funding does not just focus on nature, the need for funding does not just focus on flooding, the need for funding does not just focus on education or carbon offsetting – its all of it, but hardly anyone is ready for that. So, on we plod.
Last year, as part of the South West Defra Property Flood Resilience Pathfinder, Climate Vision enabledbusinesses to become Climate Champions. Out of three Pathfinders across the country, ours was the only one that successfully captured businesses, and with the added hurdle of the project running through the start of the pandemic. The project won a national prize. One of those Champions, Willow Car & Coach Park in Mevagissey, suffers flooding from surface water run-off. After some discussions, and then meeting a landowner in that catchment, we were able to secure solutions that would be great to trial for all parties.
Willow Car and Coach Park in Mevagissey, co-owner Jeremy Roberts commented ‘Flooding is a major concern for us so this sort of scheme further up the valley sounds like a great win in terms reducing flood risk, benefiting the environment and being cost effective for all’.
While considering what to plant, and how long to have an agreement, the best solution for everyone to trial, over one year, was for Tregoad Holiday Park to invest in the farm to pay for Herbal Ley to be planted. People are not interested in lengthy contracts right now – and they shouldn’t. The system is in a state of flux, from carbon to results – but there are some great people doing some great things. Hopefully our investment of time on closing this loop, will help policy makers and funders see the vision. The ‘close the loop’ or ‘circular’ illustration at the bottom of this article, was created by Richard Elwell from Elbury Design, to help see the payment Tregoad have made is a perfect example of private investors paying for nature based solutions (Nbs), in this case priority being natural flood management (NFM).
Herbal ley is a deep-rooted plant which will benefit the farm in several ways. The roots can absorb lots of water, which will help decrease surface water flooding. The plant also extends the grazing season and holds lots of nutrients, reducing the need for fertiliser, which is much better for the cattle than their normal grass/feed.[1]
The initiative will help reduce regular flooding in the surrounding area, while providing crucial income for the farm as the South West’s rural economy risks losing £883m over the next five years due to changing government support schemes.[1]
[1] https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/benefits-herbal-leys
Higher Kestle Farm is a family-run working farm set within 300 acres of rolling countryside, close to Mevagissey on Cornwall’s south coast. They produce grass-fed beef and lamb and grow a variety of seasonal vegetables, which are available to buy in Lobb’s Farm Shop along with a huge range of Cornish and Westcountry produce.
“Herbal Ley sends down very deep roots, holding water and carbon, there are wildlife benefits too as there will be a lot of flowers which will be beneficial to pollinators.” said Richard Lobb. “This is a great learning curve for us all, which includes Climate Vision opening all our minds to climate risks, emissions and being a little more prepared.”
Tregoad Holiday Park and Higher Kestle Farm have put a lot of time and effort into this,” said Luci. “On a wide-ranging topic that is tricky to tackle, this helps policy making for flooding, carbon activity, nature recovery and securing food to plate.”
Tregoad was named ‘Holiday Park of the Year’ at Cornwall Tourism Awards 2021/2022. “Tregoad Holiday Park is going through a programme of development. Development means emissions and as we welcome more customers there is the likelihood of our carbon footprint growing. We are really concerned about the impact of this. We have worked to reduce emissions in all areas, for example changing all our cleaning products, adding carp and reeds into our lake, and growing our own turf. Our team are taking our customers on the journey with us, not least with our family forest schools. We were delighted to win the Silver ‘Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable’ Award in the Cornwall Tourism Awards after less than one year of operating in Cornwall. Climate Vision have helped make net zero accessible – rather than being a massive hill to climb. They introduced us to Higher Kestle Farm, and we agreed to part fund this great project to plant and measure impact of Herbal Ley on holding water and reducing flooding. We are committed to growing our business in the most ethical and responsible way and this project has helped us with this enormously. Working in partnership with other local businesses and the local community is the only way to protect our local environment. For us, this is just the beginning.” Said Miranda Jacobs Director of Waterside Holiday Group (Of which Tregoad is a part).
his Carbon Accounting Qualification as part of the
Net Zero Pathway Planning Process
What do we need?
More businesses to start Net Zero Pathway Planning – book a talk to start
More farmers to look at their climate risks and consider their carbon – ring me up and tell me when they are going to market, i’ll see them there
More business that flood from surface water run off to realise it isn’t going to get better, we need to act – see below for how to get in touch.
Perhaps you can send this to someone you know.
Businesses
This project highlights the opportunities for businesses to start Net Zero Pathway planning, quite simply and quickly. It is important to make a start, have a cup of tea and a chat. It will save a business money as it prepares for the future. Businesses can get in touch here https://climatevision.co.uk/net-zero-pathway/
Farmers
Please get in touch to register your interest. We can signpost you to specialists who will help you look at your carbon and how you might trade it safely, if you wish, but let’s have a cup of tea first.
Luci Isaacson luci@climatevision.co.uk
Businesses that flood
Please get in touch to register your interest in doing similar.
Luci Isaacson luci@climatevision.co.uk
About Tregoad Holiday Park: Tregoad Holiday Park was acquired by family-run Waterside Holiday Group in 2020, representing the company’s fourth holiday park and its first in Cornwall. Located in the heart of the Cornish countryside, the park offers a range of high-quality facilities and self-catered accommodation, including static caravans complete with hot tubs, holiday cottages, and a Manor House.
About Waterside Holiday Group: Waterside Holiday Group operates four parks located in Cornwall and Dorset: Tregoad Holiday Park near Looe, The Waterside Holiday Park & Spa on Weymouth’s Bowleaze Cove, Chesil Vista on Portland Road, Weymouth, and Osmington, in Osmington Mills.
About Higher Kestle Farm: Higher Kestle Farm is a family run working farm set within 300 acres of rolling countryside. Situated just 1.5 miles from the picturesque fishing village of Mevagissey on Cornwall’s beautiful South Coast. They pride themselves on producing premium-quality Cornish grass-fed Beef & Lamb and, they grow a variety of delicious seasonal vegetables too. These, together with a huge range of other Cornish and Westcountry produce are available to buy in the shop.
