Selected Case Study - August 2007 - Gillespie Leisure
The 2006 VIBES awards saw Gillespie Leisure Ltd, owners of a five star holiday park in south west Scotland, scoop a regional award in the medium sized company category (50-250 employees) for their immense commitment to energy saving.
Run by Evelyn and Tom Gillespie, Brighouse Bay Holiday Park in Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway, employs such an impressive environmental management plan that since being implemented, the park’s energy consumption and bottom line spending has been significantly reduced.
Brighouse Bay Holiday Park is one of the few holiday resorts in the country to use solar panels to help heat water and by doing so there has been a reduction in gas use of 28 per cent, saving between £100 and £200 per month, which amounts to an annual saving of 10 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide.
In addition, Evelyn and Tom Gillespie have installed percussion taps and flow check devices on urinals to reduce the park’s water consumption by 20 per cent – making a considerable saving of over £2,000 per month. Approximately 32 per cent of energy costs have been reduced through the installation of long-life energy saving bulbs throughout the park.
Tom Gillespie, managing director of Gillespie Leisure Ltd, said: “We are extremely proud of our environmental efforts, not only are we significantly reducing our impact on the environment as a whole but we are also making considerable financial savings.
"Our commitment to the environment is an integral part of our business and all our staff share our passion for improving standards, VIBES recognises these efforts and it is a huge honour to receive such a prestigious award.”
Other environmentally friendly measures include using natural and local produce such as local sand for the golf course, local rocks for roads, car parks and caravan pitches, recycled water for golf course irrigation and grass clippings for cattle feed.
All staff receive full introduction training on their individual responsibilities with regard to the park’s environmental performance, a system which has been rolled out to all three of Gillespie Leisure’s holiday parks, alongside their recycling and energy management strategy.
In addition, recycling is a prominent part of everyday running of the park with staff recycling glass, cans, paper, cardboard, car batteries and even water. Brighouse Bay Holiday Park also hosts an annual tree planting scheme: 20,000 trees have already been planted. The Park development is actively protected with trees from public roads, the sea, the beach and picnic areas.
Preservation of wildlife is central to the business – with the park boasting 17 ponds for wildlife and coarse fishing, designated wildlife areas and increased planted hedgerows for birdlife.
There are three categories for the 2007 awards: Businesses with more than 250 employees (large); businesses with between 50 and 250 employees (medium) and businesses with less than 50 employees (small). There are also a host of special awards.
The VIBES competition is supported and managed by a partnership of organisations in Scotland: CBI Scotland; Envirowise; Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland; Forward Scotland; Highlands and Islands Enterprise; National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection (NSCA); Scottish Enterprise; Scottish Environment Protection Agency; Scottish Executive and Scottish Water Business Stream.
VIBES Awards are sponsored by Rolls-Royce Inchinnan and Chivas Brothers - Pernod Ricard.
For more information on Gillespie Leisure Ltd, please contact Evelyn Gillespie on 01557 870267 or visit www.gillespie-leisure.co.uk.
For further information about how your business can benefit from entering VIBES, contact VIBES coordinator Linsey McGillivray on 01896 754797 or log on to www.vibes.org.uk
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