How we've helped Higher Trewithen Holiday Cottages

With a focus on providing guests with a relaxing holiday experience, while ensuring that their business has as minimal impact on the environment as possible, Higher Trewithen Holiday Cottages is an accommodation provider with a difference.

Maria Millen and her husband Simon took over Higher Trewithen in 2016 and have since been working on making the property – and their offer – as eco-friendly as it can be.

“We’re trying to make this a place for people to visit, but not make it a drain on the environment. There is no such thing as being completely eco-friendly, it’s more a matter of us choosing the least damaging path,” she said.

The Coronavirus pandemic has hit the tourism sector hard in Cornwall, with those within accommodation industry from Bodmin to Land’s End eagerly anticipating a busy summer period in 2021

For Maria, the past 12 months have provided her with the opportunity to open their cottages for emergency accommodation, giving back to a community that means so much to them. It has been a busy few months, no doubt, mixing their regular maintenance into the schedule as well, with the coming months also set to be full on.

“With the exception of a couple of weeks we’re full through the summer. Last year people were generally booking around nine days before their arrival, this year they’re now having to book three months in advance,” Maria said.

Being a small business owner you’re always looking for tips and tricks to cut down on costs wherever you can, and this is what saw Maria come to the Skills Hub. With training and development being a core part of her business philosophy, Maria explained how valuable the independent and impartial help from Skills Connector Ian Watkiss was when reviewing any skills gaps. For Maria those gaps were in the areas of HR, finance and time management.

“With me and Simon being the only people responsible it’s important that we know how to do so many different things to the best of our ability, but also know where our limitations are and when we need to ask for outside help.

“It’s good to know that you’re not heading down the wrong track, and talking to Ian helped me to understand that I don’t have to be perfectly eco-friendly myself to celebrate the little changes and wins that we make within the business,” she said.

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Skills Hub from October 2017 - June 2023 was part funded by the European Social Fund and match funded by Cornwall Council and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership. The project  received £2,885,993 of funding from the European Social Fund as part of the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme in England.