Sustainability
Reconnect with nature
Winner of ‘Best Sustainable Holiday Resort for Families (UK)’ in the Marie Claire Awards 2022.
Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at The Lakes, from the farm animals that have all been rescued to rewilding, where areas of the estate are left to develop naturally. It is important that life at The Lakes embodies our stunning natural surroundings so that we can continue to enjoy its beauty and reconnect with nature.
our vision
Our founder John Hitchcox’s original vision for The Lakes by YOO was a Swallows and Amazons-style natural playground, somewhere safe for children to play, explore and build dens in the woods and we have never deviated from that plan. We maintain the estate in an utterly natural way. We’ve planted around 500,000 trees, chipping any trees that come down to use the bark around the estate. Every September we harvest the green tips on the yew trees beside The Spa and send them off to make life-saving cancer medication. These are just a few of the intiatives that contribute to our sustainable vision.
sustainable initiatives
mini farm
Our mini farm animals are all rescued and will live out the rest of their natural lives on the estate. Frank and Kevin, the estate’s first rescued pigs were brought to the team by a Sky News presenter.
rewilding
Rewilding is a top priority at The Lakes by YOO. This is where areas of the estate are left to develop naturally with minimal management by us to ensure that it doesn’t become monoocultured.
eco-ponds
Our estate is home to several eco-ponds. These are groundwater ponds allowed to fill and develop with their own flora and fauna naturally with no human intervention to become ecological hotspots.
honey bees
Hives of honey bees feed on the wildflower meadows. Our gardeners plant bee-friendly flowers, alongside interplanted flowers with vegetables to attract the bees and provide cross-pollination for the vegetables.