Access and Green Policies

Access Statement & Green Policies

Our Access Statement

Reservations staff are happy to accept type-talk calls or can answer detailed queries by email if preferred. Holidays can be booked online. On arrival at Shorefield and Oakdene there are lower desk areas at Receptions for checking in. Disabled parking is available in close proximity to the Receptions at all Parks.

Mobile coverage in the area can be patchy on some networks. Internet services are available at all Parks. We do not provide any signs in Braille. A selection of staff at some of our Parks have been trained in Deaf Awareness.

Assistance dogs are welcome on the Parks in selected pet friendly units plus they are allowed in the Clubs and shops. The nearest mobility shops are in New Milton (3 miles from Shorefield), Ringwood (2 miles from Oakdene and Forest Edge), Wimborne (1 mile from Merley Court) and several in the Bournemouth/Poole area. We are happy to arrange wheelchair hire on your behalf. The area is well served with doctors and hospitals – our staff are always happy to advise which is the nearest one.

Access information regarding our parks

Shorefield Country Park: we offer both a purpose built 6 berth lodge and a 4 berth luxury caravan designed for wheelchair users. Both have a level access shower and lowered oven and sink. The access is a ramp and the doors have been widened. There is a dedicated parking area. The Park has different types of terrain – there are some steep inclines although large areas of the Park are flat.

There is a minivator 2000 stair lift (chair) to the first floor to enable access to Reflections Day Spa at Shorefield. An Evac chair is also provided. Reflections Day Spa: the couches used for treatments are electronic so can be lowered for access.

Oakdene Forest Park: we offer a 4 berth luxury caravan designed for wheelchair users. It has a level access shower and lowered oven and sink. The access is a ramp and the doors have been widened. There is a dedicated parking area. Most of the Park is flat parkland.

We have other types of accommodation that whilst not specially adapted may still be suitable for your needs. Reservations staff are always happy to advise the most suitable accommodation to suit individual circumstances.

• There are dedicated disabled parking bays within the clubs and leisure car parks.
• There are dropped curbs throughout Shorefield and Oakdene Parks.
• There is a disabled access toilet in both Clubhouses and this is accessed by a RADA key available from reception or a duty manager. A returnable deposit is required.
  

To access the swimming pools at Shorefield and Oakdene a guest is given access to the changing rooms through a small gate rather than the turnstile. There is a disabled access changing area and toilet. To enter the indoor swimming pool there is a beached area then steps with a handrail. Only limited access to other facilities within the pool area. Currently there is no disabled access to the Wilksworth and Merley Court Swimming pools.

Lytton Lawn Touring Park: offers a disabled access toilet and shower. The Park is largelyflat, level parkland though some of the grass pitches have an incline.

Forest Edge Holiday Park: There are steps to access all the static caravans and none are adapted for wheelchair users. The Park is mainly flat, level parkland.

Swanage Coastal Park: Large areas of the Park are on a steep incline. The access to reception has 4/5 steps on one side and a disabled access ramp on the other along with a disabled toilet within. There are steps to access all the static caravans and none are adapted for wheelchair users. Large areas of the Park are on a steep incline.

Wilksworth Caravan Park: There is a purpose-built disabled suite including shower, toilet and wash basin. The Park is mainly flat, level parkland. Cars can be parked on or near the pitch at all our touring parks.

All our Parks have staff with First Aid training and external defibrillators with codes available at reception or emergency services. Should you require any further assistance at any time during your stay with us, please ask any member of staff and they will do their utmost to help. We would also welcome any comments from you on how we may be able to improve our Park to ensure a relaxed and happy environment for all of our guests.

Find out more about our range of accessible self-catering accommodation here.

Shorefield Holidays Green Policy

Shorefield Holidays Limited recognises that it has a responsibility to the environment beyond legal and regulatory requirements. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and continually improving our environmental performance as an integral part of our business strategy and operating methods. We will support climate change targets and contribute to a sustainable future. Climate change has a huge negative effect on health through air pollution, disease, extreme weather, food insecurity and pressures on mental health. We have included some of our wellness initiatives here where relevant. A healthy workforce will underpin a healthy green policy.

Responsibility

The Directors and the Management Teams are responsible for ensuring that this policy is implemented. However, all employees have a responsibility in their areas to ensure that the aims and objectives of this policy are met and to demonstrate this, all employees are asked to sign to say they have read it.

Policy Aims

• We declare that we are committed to the environment and to our stakeholders (employees, holiday homeowners, holiday guests, fitness club members, shareholders, suppliers, and all other visitors, our local communities and interested parties).
• We will invest in green projects and use green grant funding or loans where possible
• We will make every effort to prevent pollution, flooding and to continually improve our environmental performance
• We will strive to keep our employees and our stakeholders safe
• We will promote healthy working environments and working patterns for our employees
• We will allow hybrid working wherever possible to reduce employee travel to work and will encourage the use of virtual meetings whenever possible
• We will measure and endeavour to reduce our utility usage
• We will promote our green ideas to our holiday guests and our holiday homeowners through our app

Nature on our Parks

• We understand the importance of nature and the contribution that we can make
• We will encourage wildlife on our parks

Use of pesticides and other toxic materials

• We will limit the use of pesticides and other toxic materials
• We will endeavor to reduce the incidence of ants and other insects using non-toxic materials and other means
• We use safe rodent control measures to protect our guests

Paper

• We will reduce the amount of paper used and encourage digital communication instead within our offices and when communicating with our stakeholders

Management & Employee Engagement

• The green topic will be on the agenda of every Operations Team Meeting and every Middle Leadership team meeting to encourage ideas from every team.
• All job descriptions will include the importance of the green policy to the company
• We will require all departments to incorporate green initiatives in their departmental business plans
• We will encourage each park / department to have a green champion who will meet regularly to discuss the green agenda
• The green policy will be a discussion point in all appraisal meetings
• We will train staff about carbon literacy and train them to incorporate sustainability into day-to-day thinking
• We understand the importance to the business to encourage millennials and Gen Z to join our teams
• We will invest in Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to collect data about our utility usage to drive the improvements needed
• Customer preference for companies with sustainability commitments, will influence our choices
• Our challenge is to make a significant change to our everyday management and ensure that every team member and stakeholder gives this the highest priority.

Holiday Homeowner Participation

• We will regularly encourage recycling and other good practices among our holiday homeowners
• We will remove fire hoses from all our parks to reduce leaks on the systems and replace them with other approved fire extinguishing equipment
• We will provide adequate charging points for those with electric vehicles
• We will communicate our green achievements to our holiday homeowners on a regular basis
• We will encourage our holiday homeowners to generate their own solar energy to contribute to the parks’ energy supply

Measurement

• We acknowledge the TCFD reporting requirements (Task Force on Climate Related Disclosures) and will work to establish the best way to measure our emissions.

Audits

• We will introduce audits of our net zero position by Alfa Energy from 2023

Reporting

• We will report on utility consumption at our management meetings
• We will report on electricity generated at our management meetings
• We report under SECR and ESOS in our financial accounts on the progress made from our efforts to be a greener company

Review of the policy

• We will review the policy periodically to ensure that it is kept up to date

Appendices

Our Endeavors

Policy Aims

• We will invest in solar energy, biomass, and hydrogen technology where possible
• We will reduce our water usage whenever possible and look for ways to collect water and re-use water
• We will recycle whenever possible and encourage our holiday homeowners and guests to recycle as well to reduce waste to landfill
• We will turn down the heat in our hire fleet when unoccupied to a frost setting only
• We will continue to replace our diesel fleet with electric vehicles and equipment to reduce emissions and noise pollution
• We will maintain speed limits on all our parks and monitor speeds in all our company owned vehicles
• We will endeavor to stop our use of single use plastics
• We will donate to local foodbanks if we have excess stock
• We will donate our old computer equipment to local schools and our old furniture to local charities
• We will buy locally whenever possible to reduce the mileage of goods travelled
• We will promote vegetarian and vegan food choices on our menus to encourage a reduction in meat sold
• We will monitor waste and take steps to reduce this though training and portion control
• We will fit non-concussive taps to all showers and handbasins in all our public facilities
• We will fit water saving devices in our hire fleet
• We will install sensors in all areas whenever possible to reduce electricity for lighting areas not in use
• We will consider solar lights on park wherever practical
• We will replace traditional lighting with LED lights on our parks wherever practical
• We will install low level lighting wherever possible to reduce light pollution and maintain our clear skies accreditation at Wilksworth Park.
• We will endeavor to turn off our street lighting between 1.00 and 5.00 a.m. or replace it with solar lighting
• We will take every step possible to reduce journeys between parks
• We will promote car sharing among our employees
• We will consider an electric bike scheme
• We will store chemicals and fuel safely to reduce the chance of pollution
• We will balance the need to reduce chemicals with the importance of complying with the COSHH regulations whilst maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness
• We will investigate ways to reduce chemicals and utilities for swimming pools, swim spas and hot tubs
• We will cover our swimming pools and hot tubs to reduce heat loss and evaporation
• We will maintain an eco-friendly temperature in our pools
• We will purchase lodge hire fleet built to the residential standard BS 3632 and caravan hire fleet built to standard EN1647
• We will monitor the insulation values on all our company owned properties to ensure their energy efficiency
• We acknowledge that extremes in weather may cause high winds and the consequential effect to life and property and will take all possible steps to avert danger
• We are mindful that increased temperatures and careless disposal of glass may cause fires

Nature

• We will allow some grass areas, to remain long to encourage wildlife and bees
• We will leave our hedges to grow during the bird nesting season
• We will compost garden waste and food waste
• We will mulch flower beds to reduce water use and evaporation
• We will use perennial plants rather than annuals in our flower beds
• Trees are important to us because they are part of the ambiance of our parks, also because of their carbon offsetting properties
• Many of our trees have tree preservation orders on them and we replace them if they need to be removed through age, disease, or other damage
• We will encourage our holiday guests to donate to our virtual forest at the point of booking
• We will sponsor the planting of a tree for every holiday home sold
• We will endeavor to win awards for our green credentials to maintain its importance and to congratulate ourselves for our efforts

Paper

• We will take orders and job requests digitally to reduce the use of paper
• We will only issue paper receipts when requested by a customer
• We communicate with our stakeholders digitally to reduce the use of paper
• We will continually review our working practices to reduce paper usage