Our moments with the King
A walk down memory lane...
In the week of King Charles III’s coronation, we wanted to take a step back and recognise key moments that have brought us closer to King Charles’ III.
We share in his commitments to young people
The work of Your Royal Highness’ Trust to engage children and adults with the countryside as well as contributing to Britain’s rural communities are particularly key to us, and our business.
We’re on a mission to connect as many people to nature as possible. Britain’s forests are a huge natural asset, and we want to share the benefits they bring and help to secure their future. We’ve taken a step beyond just our forests and through a shared ambition with the UK’s National Parks, we’re connecting 20,000 young people with nature over the next five years. We believe doing this will improve their physical and mental health and well-being and ensure that National Parks are valued, understood and cared for into the future.
Outside play is fundamental to young people, but we know that less than 10% of children regularly play in natural spaces. We love that we can offer that freedom and fresh forest air on holiday.
We've met His Royal Highness!
Forest Holidays were the 2019 business pioneer in Step Up to Serve’s year of green action. Our CEO, Bruce McKendrick, met His Royal Highness during an Advisory Council meeting, between fellow business leaders and charities to share thoughts on social responsibility as part of the #iwill4nature campaign.
It was an event listening to the views of young people and how deeply they care about the world in which they live. We believe that businesses have a role to play to turn that interest into action, equipping young people with the skills to make a positive difference.
Following this, we hosted a boardroom in the forest event. It was a board meeting like no other. The seeds of a cross-sector collaborative movement were sown by young people, Defra, Step Up To Serve and prominent business leaders across the UK, when they gathered during #iwill week.
Bringing together five of the #iwill campaign's young #iwill Ambassadors and leaders from a range of sectors, including Forest Holidays, Sky, Seven Trent Water, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, PWC, Leon, IHG Hotels and the FA, at Forest Holidays' Blackwood Forest. It was a chance to listen to the voices of young people and together seek solutions to some of the most pressing social and environmental issues facing future generations.
Our CEO, Bruce McKendrick, with King Charles III
We support his passion for nature
We believe that when people and nature connect, good things happen. Nature has the power to make us feel better, and we want Forest Holidays to make a real difference to people’s lives. We believe our generation has a responsibility to offer young people the opportunity to experience these places first-hand as well as the life enhancing opportunities our natural landscapes bring.
Over 80% of the land Forest Holidays occupies is managed for conservation. Protecting the environment is about understanding how our actions today will impact on the future, and we’re privileged to be able to look after our spots in the forest as special places for nature, for people to enjoy and communities to thrive. We love getting involved in amazing projects and played a role in The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC). During the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, we took part in her unique tree planting initiative and planted a tree at each of our 12 beautiful locations. A number of our locations invited local schools and scout groups to play their part in watching nature grow.
Nature has the power to make us feel better.
We’re part of Commonwealth at 70 – Prince Charles’ book and documentary
Back in 2019, Forest Holidays was approached to take part in an event for the 70th anniversary of the Commonwealth. An independent board recommended Forest Holidays as an ambassador which sets the benchmark for the tourism industry. Forest Holidays features as a case study in the official ‘The Commonwealth at 70 – Prince Charles at 70’ book and documentary.
It features the story of the Prince’s social and environmental interests, his charitable work, and his championing of the UK and the Commonwealth’s values and interests. With a strong focus on sustainability, the book highlights 60 organisations, including Forest Holidays, from around the UK & Commonwealth countries who they believe to be at the forefront of innovation and sustainability.
We work with the Princes Countryside Fund
Established in 2019 by Forest Holidays and The Prince's Countryside Fund, the Rural Start-Up Fund was created to support emerging rural businesses, entrepreneurs and their communities as they strive to make the countryside a better place. We donate 10p from every hot drink that we sell to support The Start Up Fund initiative.
We knew that new rural ventures had very few places to turn to for help, and we’re proud that we can provide a unique opportunity for businesses in remote locations to access funding and mentoring support. So far, we’ve supported seven rural brands across the country with our funding and mentoring programme.
We know our sustainability and ethical credentials tally with those of HRH King Charles III. We exist to look after the forests we call home and provide unpackaged holiday experiences within them. We connect people with nature and local communities, creating a brighter future for the British countryside.
King Charles III has contributed so much to Britain’s green movement and we’re just proud that we share his values.
We're proud to support local businesses.