Ruda Holiday Park Beach Manager, Holly, is a local hero!

Congratulations to Holly Robertson, Beach Manager at Ruda Holiday Park in Croyde, who was crowned Environmental Hero of the Year at The Voice North Devon Local Hero Awards this weekend.

Assistant General Manager, Claire, Beach Manager, Holly, and General Manager, Orinta.

Designed to recognise an individual who has demonstrated a commitment to environmental sustainability, Holly impressed the judges with her ongoing contribution towards conserving and enhancing Croyde Beach, which is part of the North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, as well as her passion for spreading her knowledge and experience within the local community.

Leading the beach team at Ruda, Holly is the driving force behind many of the activities and initiatives at Croyde Beach designed to keep the beach fun, inviting and clean for the community, as well as the many holidaymakers who visit each year. Holly hosts regular beach cleans alongside the team and volunteers from the local community to ensure it remains safe for swimmers, surfers and walkers, as well as looking after the diverse flora and fauna which inhabit the beach and nearby sand dunes. Last year, together with local volunteers and guests from the holiday park, Holly and her team carried out more than 100 beach cleans, collecting almost 500 body boards, 120 tents, 100 chairs, over 40 windbreaks, and countless broken beach toys, shoes, goggles and much more.

Commenting on her award win, Holly said: “It was a complete surprise win this award as I didn’t even know I was being nominated, but I’m absolutely delighted! Keeping the beach clean and safe for our guests, as well as educating the local community, is what drives me, and I have a real passion for spreading the word about how crucial it is to take care of our planet. I’d like to thank the whole team at Ruda for all of their hard work in helping deliver this message and all the activities we have taking place on park, it wouldn’t be possible without them.”

Holly with her award at The Voice North Devon Local Hero Awards.

Testament to Holly’s ongoing beach cleaning work, Croyde Beach has recently been awarded a Blue Flag Award by Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, meaning the beach meets its high environmental, educational, safety and accessibility standards, which are aimed at improving the quality of England’s coastline and promoting the country’s best beaches. Croyde Beach has also recently achieved an Excellent water quality ranking thanks to Holly’s hard work, which is the highest, cleanest water quality that can be awarded by the Environment Agency, and confirms that the water is clean and safe for beach-goers.

Holly’s creativity in educating the local community also impressed the judges at The Voice North Devon. Last year, Holly and the team joined forces with Sarah Jellard, Director of Community Environmental Education Therapy (CEET) CIC, pupils from Pilton College, Pilton Bluecoats and Marland School, and local beach artists, Karen Atkinson and Jill Burley, to create a giant, temporary mural of a whale to highlight the scale of rubbish left at Croyde Beach each year. Measuring in excess of 45 metres in length – even longer than a Blue Whale – the mural comprised more than 120 beach tents and chairs, over 40 windbreaks, and countless broken beach toys, shoes, goggles and much more.

In addition to her beach clean work, Holly regularly takes the lead in other strategies to improve the beach. She recently led a new conservation initiative at Croyde Bay, launched in collaboration with Natural England, where 100 people from North Devon joined forces with team members from Ruda Holiday Park and local environmental charities to restore the sand dunes behind the beach. 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.

Congratulations to Holly and the whole team at Ruda!