Regenerative Tourism

We are totally committed to making our home and Sara’s Cottage as environmentally friendly as possible and to helping our surroundings and local economy thrive.  The fresh air, our surroundings, birds and wildlife give us a great deal of pleasure but not as much as seeing the impact this has on our guests who look and feel refreshed when staying here.

We are proud supporters of Cornwall Wildlife Trust.  On our booking form we have an optional extra of £5 per booking to be donated to that Trust.  We hope that you will be happy to help them restore our natural habitats for all to enjoy.

Single use plastic and recycling

We aim to reduce waste to as little as possible by reusing and / or recycling.  We hope that our guests and visitors to Cornwall are able to help us to reduce our impact on the environment. 

We supply guests with a locally made Sara’s Cottage jute bag for their holiday shopping and to take home afterwards.  There is a second bag in the cottage.  Please use these in preference to plastic carriers. Try to avoid overly packaged goods by purchasing from local markets and say no to unnecessary plastic packaging especially on fruit and vegetables.

Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet highlighted the tragedy of plastic in our oceans.  This has become a huge concern and we need to reduce plastic waste.  We therefore do not provide cling film or single use plastic.  Instead you will find many reusable food boxes, paper compostable sandwich bags, reusable food wraps and refillable water bottles in the cottage for your use whilst here.

We recycle or reuse everything possible. Compostable food waste is put in our compost bin. Leftover cooked food, stale bread, cheese etc or anything else suitable for wildlife is left out for them to take. There are recycling bins provided for guests to use. 

Energy

Our electricity is supplied by Octopus Energy which is 100% renewable. Since changing to a renewable energy supplier we have saved approx 235kg of Co2 emissions per month versus using a non renewable energy supplier using a UK’s general mix (source Octopus). Please help us to reduce usage by switching off lights when not in use and closing windows if the heating is on. The central heating is electric and is timed to come on in the morning and again from late afternoon. It is our aim to have solar panels fitted on our house and the cottage subject to budget and cost.

In 2023 we replaced the old conservatory with a new more energy efficient model with a solid insulated roof.  The new conservatory has reduced the amount of energy needed to heat it as it’s no longer extremely cold in the winter, and no longer extremely hot in the summer.  

We also have a wood-burner. There is plenty of wood supplied for guests’ use which is direct from our fallen trees or branches. We ask that guests use the wood-burner during the day rather than switching on the central heating. The wood supplied is free of charge and you can have as much as you need.  We are also happy to light the fire for you if required.

Electric vehicles

We have an EV charger for guests to use.

Helping our local economy

We use local produce, products and services as much as possible.  Your welcome pack provides food from suppliers within a 20 miles radius of here e.g. Rodda’s cream and butter, Trewithen milk, Cornish Tea company tea and sugar, Boddingtons jam and Healeys apple juice.  They provide a taste of Cornwall and help to support local communities. You will also find many items in the cottage have been purchased from local businesses e.g. Jo Downs Glass, Julian Foye furnishers, Uneeka, Three Rivers Furniture, The Wearhouse and Mallets Home Hardware, all of which are located in Truro. Most of the electrical items were purchased from HBH Woolacotts a local company.

We are fortunate enough to have so many fantastic producers of food, drink, art and crafts in Cornwall. The Great Cornish Foodstore in Truro is a fantastic shop selling food, crafts and goods.  There are details of local produce retailers in the cottage information folder and on the guest app.

Water

The UK has rising costs for water treatment and flood defences, so please use water wisely. Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth and please do not leave taps running unnecessarily. We use a water butt for watering plants and tubs.

Respect nature

Help us to look after our beautiful landscape and wildlife by not littering, by guarding against fire and by using footpaths and cycle-ways responsibly. 

On our land there are many bird boxes, bird feeders and field sections left uncut for the owls to hunt mice.  We feel privileged to have both nesting barn and tawny owls. 

Please never release helium balloons or Chinese lanterns anywhere as they eventually fall back to earth and are harmful to fish, animals and birds. 

We have fully participated in the badger vaccination programme for the last two years and will do so again this year 2025.

Products supplied

Many cleaning products, shampoos and shower gels contain chemicals. Some products are tested on animals in extremely painful procedures. We supply and use environmentally friendly products that do not contain chemicals and are cruelty free. Toilet and kitchen rolls supplied are made from 100% recycled paper from a company that gives 50% of its profits to improving sanitation in underdeveloped countries. 

Our hand, shower and bath products are made by Land & Water.  The company is based within 20 miles of us and they supply luxury products using sustainable practices.  Their products are ethical, natural, vegan friendly and gentle on the skin. 

Our fields and hedgerows

Our fields are left to grow all summer to help the birds, bees and butterflies.  Many of our guests have commented on how wonderful it is to see natural wildflowers growing throughout the fields. The fields are usually cut late in the year by our neighbour to feed his organic cattle over winter.  You can enjoy walking through the fields as we cut pathways for guest use.  Chemicals and pesticides are never used anywhere in our fields or gardens.

Our field hedgerows have been left uncut for many years and they are a full of birds, butterflies, berries and other wildlife.   

Whilst staying here you may come across deer, badgers and foxes.  We also have a thriving owl population.  Both barn owls and tawny owls can often be seen or heard at dusk. The barn opposite the cottage has two owl boxes; one is used every year for breeding and the second box is often visited by barn owls protecting themselves over the winter.   Our guests have loved seeing the owlets in the barn where they often stay for a few days after leaving the box until they can fly properly. This is called their “branching phase”.  We also supply guests with an Ipad solely for the purpose of watching the owl cameras.  This has been a real hit with many guests especially children.

We have a further two owl boxes; one in a shed and the other in an old oak tree in a hedge boundary. Both of these boxes have been used at different times by owls.

We are currently in communication with Forest for Cornwall with regard to restoring a hedgerow on our land.  We are also in the final stages of work on our drive and are currently preparing the flower beds to accommodate two strips of wild flowers.

Thank you for helping us to restore and protect our environment and being part of our journey. 

April 2025.