Dorset park marks 50 years with £100k fundraising quest

Breathtaking views from Highlands End where fundraising is helping to conserve the Jurassic coastline

FIFTY YEARS of providing dream Dorset holidays are being celebrated this summer by family and the team at Highlands End Holiday Park in Bridport.

Now the multi-award winning business is inviting holiday guests to £100,000.

Since 2008, Highlands End and its four sister parks have donated over £95,000 to help conserve England’s only natural World Heritage Site.

Directo create a half-century record for its annual donations in 2021.

Highlands End Holiday Park is the flagship of the West Dorset Leisure Holidays group which is run by Martin and his wife Vanessa, plus their sons James and Robert.

Martin and Vanessa whose park has scooped a host of tourism awards

The farm-based park first started welcoming guests in 1971, and its dramatic cliff-top location and friendly atmosphere quickly won it a large and loyal following.

With panoramic views across 99 miles of Dorset and Devon coastline, said Martin, Highlands End has always had a special appeal to lovers of natural beauty.

As the business continued to expand over the years, it has attracted many regional and national awards for its quality standards and care for wildlife and the environment.

In the past six years, Highlands End has held the Dorset Holiday Park of the Year title no fewer than three times, and in 2020 Martin was named as the winner of the South West Tourism award for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism.

Today, Highlands End employs around 75 team members, many with 20-plus years of service, and its guests each year help support many other family businesses in the region.

“We never forget how fortunate we are to run the park along sustainable lines,” said Martin.

“It’s difficult not to try and conserve this fragile environment, and that is why we have long championed the aims of the Jurassic Coast Trust.

“As well as our own fundraising for the trust and its conservation work, we add an optional donation added tomers’ bookings which is gladly given by the overwhelming majority.

“I’m excited that we may now be able to our golden year by creating a new high water mark for money raised – despite the earlier lockdowns,” added Martin.

He said that all his company’s parks were experiencing huge demand this year, and that advance bookings were stretching through to winter and even as far as 2022.

Highlands End provides a raft of leisure facilities and an acclaimed bar/restaurant, and staying options including luxury holiday lodges and caravans, glamping, and touring pitches.

For more information about Highlands End and other parks in the group, visit www.wdlh.co.uk