Two Cornish charities each received a four-figure fillip to their fundraising efforts this January, thanks to an enterprising Padstow holiday park’s visitor giving scheme.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Wadebridge Foodbank have both been handed cheques for £1,700 from Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park at Trevose Head.

The much-needed sums were raised by guests who donated £1.00 on top of their holiday costs when booking a stay at the multi-award winning park.

The total amount was then doubled by Mother Ivey’s Bay owner Patrick Langmaid to create the £3,400 windfall which was shared by the charities.

On top of another £800.00 donation made to each cause last March from the scheme, it means that the park has raised £5,000 for the two organisations over the past 12 months.

Mother Ivey’s Bay’s commitment to corporate and social responsibility saw it featured in the Caring Company category of the 2015 Cornish Guardian Community awards last year.

Patrick Langmaid’s many other initiatives include his “One for All” charity which provides a week’s stay in a holiday home to a needy family for every 100 holiday home bookings the business takes.

Patrick was also chosen last autumn as the winner of the Living Wage Leadership Award 2015 for the South West region, presented by the Living Wage Foundation.

Industry Accolades

In addition, Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park in Padstow was also declared the winner of the Living Wage Employer Champion Award in the South West.

Award judges highlighted the tireless campaigning for the living wage which Patrick has carried out both within and without the tourism industry, and the fine example set by his business.

Mother Ivey’s Bay Holiday Park provides 230 caravan holiday homes, both privately owned and for hire, plus 120 pitches for touring guests, and a field which opens in summer for campers.

More accolades for the park’s high standards came last year when Mother Ivey’s came away with a raft of honours at the 2015 Cornwall Tourism Awards.

It took the top gold award in both the Holiday Park of the Year category and the Access and Inclusivity category, plus silver for Dog Friendly Businesses.

At the end of the ceremony, Mother Ivey’s was also announced as the competition’s overall “Winner of Winners” – and will be competing again later this year in both the Southwest Tourism Awards and the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence for which it has been nominated.

Patrick, whose family has owned the business for over 25 years, runs the park with the help of his wife Margaret – and the couple are keen to keep driving forward their charity work:

“Many holiday businesses in Cornwall give very generously of their time and resources to help local charities, and we are very proud to stand alongside them,” said Patrick.

“Our charity work receives immense support from our holiday guests who make donations when booking their stays with virtually nobody opting out of the scheme.

“We’re also greatly indebted to our staff who also make a superb contribution through their efforts to our fundraising activities,” added Patrick.

He said that the present level of 2016 bookings for the park, which re-opens in March, suggests that this year’s total could well we exceeded by the end of the season.