China Looks to Bluestone for Environmental Initiatives
The future leaders of the world’s newest superpower were in Pembrokeshire last week, picking up some green tips.
A delegation of ‘young leaders’ from across China visited Bluestone to see how the resort fulfilled its responsibilities in terms of sustainability and the environment.
The visit stemmed from agreements made by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Chinese premier Wen Jiabao in 2008 and was part of a series of initiatives designed to take forward UK-China co-operation on youth exchanges.
In June, the British Council took 100 UK young leaders to China under the ‘Environment and Healthy Lifestyle’ theme. Last week’s return visit included a visit to the Blue Lagoon Water Park – believed to be the only biomass-heated waterpark in the world - and a tour of Bluestone itself. The delegation also took a tour of the resort’s new Christmasland attraction, which has been created within another biomass-heated building.
Myfanwy Grantham, of the British Council, said: “As the delegation was here to learn about healthy living and the environment as well as to visit Wales, the British Council decided that Bluestone would be a perfect place to take them as it encompassed the whole brief. They were able to view a top-class facility and learn that it is possible to run a large and modern facility in a sustainable manner all in one of the most beautiful parts of Wales.
“Our guests had a great time and I really do feel that they learned a lot as well as being able to enjoy the delights of Christmasland. The feedback from them was really positive and they mentioned the fact that they had visited Bluestone to everyone else they met during the remainder of the week.”
Bluestone spokesman Richard Harris said: “China is the world’s fastest-growing major economy and a burgeoning superpower. The young people who visited Bluestone may well play a significant role in its future, so we are flattered that they have come to Pembrokeshire to learn from what we’ve done at Bluestone.”