The very raison d’etre of Brightwater Holidays is to encourage our clients to enjoy the world’s most beautiful gardens and both natural and man-made sights. We try to do this as responsibly and in a sustainable manner whenever we can.

Where possible we use locally owned hotels, local specialist agents and, in addition to our own Tour Managers, we use local guides. By doing this, our innovative itineraries are helping many fragile rural economies to survive and indeed prosper.

It seems that everywhere you turn these days there is coverage in the media regarding Responsible Tourism. But what exactly does it mean? Is it a new thing? We like to think we have been responsible for years.

Corporate responsibility should, and does with Brightwater Holidays, start in the office. In our offices in Cupar all old brochures and waste cardboard (of which mountains seem to appear from nowhere) are recycled and pulped towards the making of whisky boxes – a scheme we happily endorse! All other waste paper is collected monthly by a recycling franchisee, ‘Shred-it’. 

It has amazed staff as to how much wasted can be recycled in the workplace. Stamps go to Guide dogs for the blind, coffee and tea for our office visitors are all ‘Fairtrade’ brands, all cleaning materials are ‘eco-friendly’ brands. We have thermometers in every room in order to keep temperatures at an even level. Lighting in the office where possible has been changed to use long-life/low emission bulbs. All toner cartridges are recycled, old computers go to Computer Recycling Services of Dundee, unwanted office furniture is re-homed by a local charity in Cupar – we even have an office compost bin for tea-bags and other organic lunchtime waste!

The environmental impact of our tours is continually monitored by talking to and listening to the needs of the local communities we visit; by encouraging our clients to support community owned shops and cafes on islands such as Gigha and Eigg. We have developed new tours to smaller islands and remoter communities that use smaller guest-houses and bed and breakfast establishments in Tiree, Coll and Glenelg. We also support local and independent boatmen on tours where possible i.e. to St Kilda, Small Isles, Corryverckan, and Foula.

Our Corporate responsibility in the community includes annual support for Strathcarron Hospice, Dunfermline Golf Club’s Variety Club of Scotland appeal, and Perennial (The Gardener’s Benevolent Society), and substantial donations to Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres.

In encouraging and sending our customers to some far flung destinations, we are, of course, contributing to the build up of greenhouse gasses by means of the aviation industry. All air travel by Brightwater Holidays’ staff is carbon neutral by means of us contributing to an innovative company called Climate Care – www.climatecare.org

Many passengers have followed our lead. We do it and would like you to consider it too.