Golden recognition for Marina

Bondholder Mercia Marina has won a Gold conservation award for the ninth year in a row from the late Professor David Bellamy in a series of top accolades.

The Gold accolade is given to parks in recognition of work to protect and enhance the natural world across Britain, and analyses everything from planting schemes and wildlife management to waste recycling, light pollution and the cleanliness of toilets.

The conservation awards scheme, co-founded by Professor Bellamy in conjunction with British Holiday & Home Parks Association, also awarded the marina, in Willington, a Woodlands Badge and once again declared it a Honey Bee Friendly park with the help of the active volunteers from Mercia’s Nature Society. It has also become one of the first recipients of the scheme’s new ‘Going Green Together’ badge.

Alongside these prestigious awards, the marina has also again achieved its five-star grading and gold award from Visit England marking its continuous commitment to improvements and standards.

Commenting on the highlights of the marina, the Visit England report stated: “The strengths of this park are its comprehensive range of home, leisure, shopping and facilities, coupled with a year-on-year investment programme to enhance the customer experience.”

Tony Preston, Sales and Marketing Manager at Mercia Marina, said: “These awards are recognition of the dedicated and hard-working team of staff and volunteers that we have at the marina, who work tirelessly to maximise the visitor experience and deliver the highest level of customer service and satisfaction.

“Our commitment to encouraging wildlife is just one of the reasons why the marina has become one of the top tourist attractions in the East Midlands. We are also pleased that the work of our volunteers to boost the honey bee population has been recognised once again.”