THE NEW phase of the award-winning Hollicarrs Holiday Park at Escrick, near York, has been officially opened by Nigel Adams, Minister for Culture, Media and Sport.

Mr Adams, who is MP for Selby and Ainsty, cut the ribbon at the Lawley development of 42 luxury holiday lodges.

Charlie Forbes Adam, owner of the Escrick Park Estate, which owns Hollicarrs, said: "This is a tremendously exciting initiative. Lawley builds on the success of our first two phases at

Hollicarrs - Wenlock and Harts Nook - and provides fabulous holiday lodges for everyone wanting to enjoy the sanctuary of our estate and visit North Yorkshire’s many tourist attractions."

Mr Adams added: "The success of Hollicarrs has been a great boost to tourism in the York and Selby region. This latest investment in the park by the Escrick Estate is likely to prove

equally successful and I wish this prestigious project the very best of luck. It is an honour to officially open it."

In a new incentive for Escrick, the owners of the Lawley lodges can hire them out when they are not using them themselves.

Hollicarrs is a private, secure, natural sanctuary that is set within the 250-acre woodlands that make up the historic Escrick Park Estate. It includes nature walks, cycle tracks, a bowling green, a fishing lake and tennis courts on site. York is close by, as is Selby.

The park has also held the David Bellamy Gold Award for Conservation and the Quality in Tourism 5 star award every year since opening in 2005.

Dawn Buck, the manager of Hollicarrs, said: "All the Lawley homes are top-of-the-range lodges with two bedrooms or more and all equipped with high range kitchens, sumptuous

bedrooms and living areas. Towels and bedding are all included with the hire, and each lodge is individually styled to a very high standard."