David Bellamy – a champion of green holiday parks
As the sad news of David Bellamy’s death reaches us, we at Caravan Industry & Park Operator take a look at how the environmentalist and botanist laid the foundations for a greener attitude to holidaying in the UK. David Bellamy OBE was a regular face on TV since the late 60s, when he was interviewed after the Torrey Canyon disaster struck – an oil tanker ran aground between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and David, then an ecology lecturer at Durham University, was on hand to discuss the impact of the spillage with John Craven. He later said of Torrey Canyon: “Many lessons were learnt and are still being learnt. It was probably the first time that words like environment and conservation were voiced on the media, later to become so commonplace.” David Bellamy Conservation Awards David lent his name to the environmental awards which have been given to holiday parks across the country which have worked hard on the conservation of the natural environment. He said in 2010: “We started the awards in 1997. I went around to goodness knows how many caravan parks trying to get across the importance of natural history and biodiversity – although we didn’t call it ‘biodiversity’ in those days. At the start, we audited 100 of them, assessing their impact on the environment “And I was amazed. There were so many super places. We soon found that people were very proud of their natural surroundings – all the wild flowers, rabbits, squirrels, even dragonflies. They were proud of having them. They were doing my job for me. “I thought the award scheme might run for a couple of seasons – but it has been going ever since.” Holiday parks strived to become members of this prestigious club and those who achieved their awards could proudly state that they were putting nature first in their parks – a huge draw for eco-conscious customers. One recent award included Stonerush Lakes near Looe, which won a gold David Bellamy award for careful management of the lakes, and also of the extensive native hedging which provides habitats and food resources for wildlife. David also highlighted the large areas of high pollen-bearing wild flowers which provide vital foraging for endangered honey bees, butterflies and other pollinators. David wrote many scientific papers and books and was a familiar face on TV as he appeared on both his own shows and as a guest on many more. In later years, David’s controversial views on climate change were criticised and he said there was no scientific proof that global warming was down to human activity. David said that campaigners had exaggerated the effects of CO2. His TV career dwindled following his comments although David continued to work as a conservation champion across the globe. Caravan Industry & Park Operator editor Victoria Galligan said: “David’s enthusiastic, eccentric image and distinctive fluffy beard made him a well-loved, recognisable and approachable person and he will be sadly missed by many who, like me, grew up watching him on TV. He was a real inspiration for viewers to think more carefully about the environment and our impact on it. He wasn’t afraid to shy away from what he believed in – although many disagreed!” David, who died aged 86 yesterday, 12th December 2012, leaves five grown-up children and was a grandad. His wife Rosemary died last year. Photo: Century Books
Truvox Supplies Floorcare Machines To Caravan Parks
Truvox International Ltd is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of commercial and industrial floorcare machines, based in Southampton, England. Meeting the needs of a wide range of markets including healthcare, education, leisure, and facility managers, Truvox works directly and indirectly through a network of dedicated dealers based across the UK and worldwide. Truvox began producing electric polishing machines in the early 1960s, and has continued to innovate, developing a suite of machines designed to streamline cleaning and maintenance of hard and soft floors. These range from vacuums to escalator sweepers and air movers, but Truvox technology leads the market in three main areas: • Scrubber dryers – the Multiwash has long been the most popular model in this range across a variety of sectors. Highly valued for its versatility, it can wash, scrub and dry hard and soft floors in a single pass. In its latest cordless form, the Multiwash 340/Pump Battery provides even greater flexibility. • Single-disc rotaries – the Orbis range is truly comprehensive, with machines for stripping, scrubbing, wet and dry polishing and shampooing. Orbis rotaries are economical, versatile and powerful enough for the toughest floorTruvox Floorcare Machines maintenance demands. • Carpet extraction – These machines can remove the most challenging stains. The Hydromist line-up caters for users’ various priorities, whether that is large area cleaning or upholstery, or spray extraction alone or combined with brushing. • Vacuums – the VTVe, a compact and manoeuvrable tub vacuum and the Valet Battery Upright II which is a cordless upright vacuum are reliable, easy to use and ideal for when customers are present. Also in the range is the Valet BackPack vacuum that is lightweight and ideal for vacuuming in confined areas. Truvox also offers Cimex three-brush technology, the most effective technique for cleaning floors, whether for scrubbing, polishing or restoring carpets through encapsulation of embedded dirt.
Arccan – 15 years as the shade & shelter specialists
We have been designing and supplying quality shade structure for the last fifteen years – we install our structures throughout the UK as well as any location in the World. We now have available forty standard pre-engineered tensile fabric structures in a number of sizes, including hypars, barrelvaults & cones – sails, walkways, entrance canopies, umbrellas (central post and cantilever), single pitch, stand-alone & lean-to, all available in a wide range of fabrics and colours with steel finishes including galvanising, polyester powder coating and epoxy painting We also supply bespoke tensile fabric structures – our design department uses the latest CAD programs to create models for customer approval, we then carry out structural analysis to ensure that they will withstand the worst possible weather conditions and by manufacturing and installing them to exacting standards most models will have a life-expectancy of over 25 years. We now supply retractable awnings, lean-to verandas, retractable pergolas & bioclimatic pergolas with rotating louvred roofs. These structures are manufactured in Italy so have great flair and quality, motorised models have Somfy actuators and all support frames are in aluminium for a long maintenance-free lifespan. New to our range are aluminium framed lean-to and stand-alone shelters with glass and polycarbonate roofs – toughened glass, self-cleaning glass, solid polycarbonate or structured polycarbonate roofs to suit all needs. Key points for the shade structure: All structures are warranted for ten years We install throughout the World We offer an aftercare, maintenance and cleaning service We can supply infra-red heating, LED lighting. Our CAD department is happy to design and engineer any component or structure to customers’ requirement Website – www.arccan.com Twitter – https://twitter.com/arccanshades LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/arccan-shade Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/arccanshades/
