An important new conservation initiative has been launched at Croyde Bay, with more than 100 people from North Devon joining forces with team members from Parkdean Resorts’ Ruda Holiday Park and local environmental charities to restore the sand dunes behind the beach.
The project has been launched in collaboration with Natural England, the government’s adviser for the natural environment in England. Home to a number of rare plants and animals, the dunes are a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a vital part of the ecology of the coastal habitat, but have become worn down over time by walkers and bodyboarders. The project will restore the lost marram grass which will begin to build back the sand, with fencing and signs installed to protect the area and allow the sand dunes to grow over a five year period.
On Saturday 25th February, almost 50 members of the local community in Croyde joined Beach Manager, Holly Robertson, and her team in the blow-out in the North Dunes, planting grass and installing fencing. Then the following week, in collaboration with Community Environmental Educational Therapy CIC, 20 children joined in with digging and planting, while more than 30 students from Ilfracombe Academy and Petroc helped dig grass in over-established areas, as part of Plastic Free North Devon’s Ocean Explorer Academy.
Holly Robertson, Beach Manager, Ruda Holiday Park, said: “The dunes are such an important habitat, and we’re so thankful for everybody who got involved. It was amazing to see so many people come together to join in, and we couldn’t have done this so quickly without everyone’s help. The support we receive all year round from local residents and fantastic charities like CEEC CIC and Plastic Free North Devon shows how important the beach is to everybody in Croyde, and we’re proud to be able to work together to conserve and enhance the local environment.”
The work on the dunes is part of a significant programme of activity being delivered by Parkdean Resorts, which owns Ruda Holiday Park and Croyde Beach, and the local community in Croyde in 2023. Through a match-funding agreement with Croyde Area Residents Association (CARA), Parkdean Resorts, which is the UK’s largest holiday park operator, approved grants totalling more than £20,000 for a number of projects, while the Ruda team will also continue to spearhead key conservation projects which will make a meaningful difference to the local community and its environment.
Residents in Georgeham Parish were invited to apply for grants last year, and the first projects chosen by CARA include the development of a new clubhouse for the Croyde Surf Life Saving Club, the purchase of an adaptive surfboard, and the creation of the beach’s first ever accessible Changing Places facility.
In addition to the sand dune project, the team at Ruda is committed to responsibly managing the beach to keep it fun, inviting and clean for the community as well as the many holidaymakers who visit each year. Teams from the park carry out regular beach cleans alongside holidaymakers and volunteers from the local community, to ensure it remains safe for swimmers, surfers and walkers, as well as the diverse flora and fauna which inhabit the beach and nearby sand dunes.
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