A Lake District holiday park has been presented with a King’s Award for Enterprise.
The Quiet Site, at Ullswater, has been handed the accolade for Sustainability Development by the Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria, Alexander Scott.
The award was given to the park at a ceremony attended by tourism chiefs and members of the local business community.
Four years ago, the Quiet Site became Britain’s first holiday park to win the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainability Development for its long-time championing of the principles of green tourism.
Presenting the award to park owners Daniel Holder, his wife Anne and their son George, Mr Scott described its twice winning the accolade as a remarkable achievement.
Mr Scott said credit must go to the continuing success of The Quiet Site in building even further on its tireless campaign to protect Cumbria’s beautiful but fragile environment.
In the past year, the park had achieved carbon neutral status and now generates 80% of its energy needs from renewable sources on-site.
The Quiet Site has also played a key role in introducing a community bus service in the Ullswater area which in 2024, its first year of operation, carried over 9,000 passengers.
Supported by many other local businesses, the Hopper Bus serves holidaymakers and residents while also driving down congestion and carbon emissions.
The Lord Lieutenant was accompanied on the visit by Deputy Lord Lieutenant Marcia Reid Fotheringham.
The Quiet Site offers high quality – and sometimes offbeat – accommodation and includes 15 underground Hobbit Holes, which are highly insulated and extremely energy efficient.
There are also 15 energy-positive Gingerbread houses which generate more energy than they use.
The park also offers camping pods, glamping cabins, holiday cottages, and tent and touring pitches.
Thanking the Lord Lieutenant for the sustainability award presented on behalf of King Charles III, Daniel said it was a matter of immense pride to him his family, and the park team.
He said: “Tourism is vital to Cumbria’s rural economy and supports thousands of jobs. Our visitor sector is perfectly sustainable if we all play a part in minimising our impact on the environment.
“We are surrounded by some of the world’s most amazing scenery, and it’s impossible not to feel a sense of responsibility for trying to do all we can to protect it.
“The Quiet Site has invested heavily in sustainable technologies over the years, including solar panels, heat pumps and biomass heating, as well as banning single-use plastics.
“We also operate a locally popular zero waste food shop specialising in Cumbrian produce free from unnecessary packaging, and with the fewest possible food miles under its belt.
“Hopefully we are sending out the message that, by making even minor adjustments to our lives, it’s possible to make a real difference.”
