05/28/2012 (press release: Online PR) // Samantha Crossfield or Rachel Ford
Greencoats take British holidaymakers back to nature. Britain’s famous Redcoats are turning green this summer as Butlins launches an initiative with The Wildlife Trusts to encourage visiting families to explore the beautiful beaches at their three resorts.
This week, dozens of Redcoats are being put through their paces to become fully fledged Greencoat Guides – helping holidaymakers explore the seaside and discover the wildlife that inhabits its shores.
With new reports highlighting a dramatic decline in UK children enjoying the great outdoors*, Butlins says its resorts are perfectly positioned to buck this trend and encourage families to enjoy their natural surroundings.
Says Jae Hopkins, from Butlins: “British holidaymakers do love to be beside the seaside – and there are huge benefits to venturing outdoors, so we’ve teamed up with The Wildlife Trusts to train a group of Greencoats to help families re-connect with the natural world.
“This is the first time ever in our 75 year history that we’ve introduced a new colour to the famed Redcoat wardrobe, but it’s important that we show our long-term commitment to preserving and promoting Britain’s great beaches. As well as being instantly recognisable, our trained beach guides will be doing a really important job to inspire explorers – young and old.”
The Greencoats will wear a newly designed green version of the casual Redcoat uniform, teamed with green Converse trainers.
Each of the three Butlins resorts has worked with their local Wildlife Trust to devise family-friendly seaside explorations and activities. Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness will each have a dedicated team of Greencoat Guides, trained by local wildlife experts.
Pete Crawford, Head of Community for Sussex Wildlife Trust, said: “Wildlife is one of the things that makes a trip to the UK seaside so special, whether it’s the hidden treasures in our rock pools or the seabirds soaring overhead. In our centenary year, The Wildlife Trusts are delighted to be working with Butlins to bring people closer to the inspirational wildlife living within our seas and around our coastline. From helping families identify the wildlife they spot, to devising a range of fun beach-based activities, we want to inspire imaginations and help holidaymakers become aware of the importance of our Living Seas. The more we learn about the wildlife in our seas, the more we’ll want to help protect it.”
Butlins continues its commitment to help maintain its local beaches which feature in the Marine Conservation Society’s Good Beach Guide 2011 for being among the UK’s best-kept beaches. Butlins Skegness is also one of the very few organisations in the East Midlands to receive the Gold Award for achievement on sustainability and green issues in the Green Tourism Business Scheme.
Families heading to British coasts this summer can now download Butlins British Beach Activity Booklet for free at www.butlins.com/beachwalks.
– Ends –
Notes to Editors
* Natural Childhood report from the National Trust, published on 30 March 2012.
About Butlins
Butlins has three beachside resorts, Bognor Regis (West Sussex), Minehead (Somerset) and Skegness (Lincolnshire) and welcomes around 1.5m guests per year.
Butlins won the Tourism and Leisure Training Team Award as well as the Overall Winner Award in the Training Team categories at the Customer Service Training Awards 2011.
It was named as the Best UK/Domestic Tour Operator 2010 in the British Travel Awards as well as 2010 UK Customer Experience Award in Travel, Leisure and Tourism. It is part of Bourne Leisure Ltd which also owns Warner Leisure Hotels and Haven Holidays.
About The Wildlife Trusts
There are 47 individual Wildlife Trusts covering the whole of the UK. All are working for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone. We have more than 800,000 members including 150,000 members of our junior branch Wildlife Watch. Our vision is to create A Living Landscape and secure Living Seas. 2012 is The Wildlife Trusts’ centenary year and we are marking it in a variety of ways including launching a new series of events to bring people closer to wildlife. To find out more visit www.wildlifetrusts.org/100.
We manage around 2,300 nature reserves and every year we advise thousands of landowners and organisations on how to manage their land for wildlife. We also run marine conservation projects around the UK, collecting vital data on the state of our seas and celebrating our amazing marine wildlife.
Every year we work with thousands of schools and our nature reserves and visitor centres receive millions of visitors. Each Wildlife Trust is working within its local communities to inspire people about the future of their area: their own Living Landscapes and Living Seas.
PHOTO 1:
Holiday resort Butlin’s launches its new initiative with The Wildlife Trusts with the help of Greencoat’s Alisha Parker (left) and Darren Dimmock (2nd right) and the traditional Redcoat’s Ben Smart (2nd left) and Jodie Cameron (right) wearing their casual uniforms on the beach at Butlin’s, Minehead. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2012. It’s the first time in Butlin’s 75 year history to see a new colour being added to their ‘Redcoats’. The scheme is to encourage it’s visiting families to explore the beautiful beaches at their three UK resorts in Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness. Photo credit should read: Jim Wileman/PA
For more information:
Contact Samantha Crossfield or Rachel Ford
Consolidated PR
020 7781 2300
butlins@consolidatedpr.com
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