Butterflies, buzzards and bats have helped the owners of a Redruth holiday park to wing their way to victory in a nationwide environmental competition organised by Professor David Bellamy.

Tehidy Holiday Park in Illogan has scooped a major accolade in the David Bellamy Conservation Awards, designed to celebrate the UK's chief providers of "green holidays".

The botanist said that the park's owners, Richard and Julia Barnes, Sheela Ramm and site manager Keith Wilson had created "an exciting wildlife wonderland which is brimming with bio-diversity Tehidy is set in just over four and a half acres of wooded valley and has 25 holiday homes to rent, plus pitches for use by families with touring caravans, motorhomes and tents.

Amongst its many natural attractions are walks around the park's grounds which provide valuable habitats for flora and fauna.

During a wildlife audit earlier this year, more than 90 different wild flower species were identified, attracting a wide range of common and less familiar butterflies.

The park also boasts 29 types of native tree - which have been supplemented by more plantings of indigenous species by Richard, Julia and Sheela, including an orchard of apple, plum and pear trees.

The stream which runs through Tehidy, and carefully maintained, supports a wide variety of aquatic life including dragonflies, and acts as a magnet for many different types of birds.

Other winged guests on the park are owls, buzzards and bats such as the protected Greater Horseshoe.

Additional conservation initiatives put in place by Richard and Julia include maintaining the park's hedgerows as a food and breeding habitat for native wildlife.

Tehidy Holiday Park was bought by Richard and Julia, together with Julia's mother Sheela, in January this year.

They moved to Cornwall from North Norfolk where Richard was a primary school headmaster. The couple have four young children.