19 September 2011BEACHWATCH UPDATE.....
Report of "Beachwatch Big Weekend" Beach Clean at Shakespeare Beach, Sunday 18th September 2011.
The White Cliffs Countryside Partnership were kindly supported and sponsored by Dover Harbour Board in conjunction with the Marine Conservation Society, "Beachwatch Big Weekend" who held a clean up on Shakespeare Beach, Dover on Sunday.
With staff and volunteers from the WCCP, Dover Harbour Board and the Dover Scouts, 45 volunteers collected and recorded over 5,842 separate items of litter in just 4 hours! The total weight collected amounted to 153 kilos.
The weather was perfect for the day and Paul Sampson, Partnership Officer for the WCCP and Beach Clean organiser said,
" I am really proud of the fantastic effort put in by all the volunteers who gave their time freely to help remove the ever increasing amount of litter that blights our beaches".
The litter collected was made up mainly of plastics, pieces of netting, discarded fishing line and drinks bottles.
The litter is bad for our seas, shores and wildlife.
This was just part of a national effort over the weekend to help rid our beaches of litter.
Many thanks to Paul Sampson for the report and pictures above.
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SeaFrance staff get stuck in!
SeaFrance employees get to grips with the litter on Kingsdown Beach for the Beachwatch big clean
On sunday SeaFrance staff joined local residents on Kingsdown Beach as part of the Marine Conservation Society’s Beachwatch Big Weekend. A total of 9 bags of litter were collected, adding to the bags collected at over 350 beaches nationwide over the weekend by a total of 4,000 volunteers involved in the beach clean initiative. At Kingsdown, 19 volunteers collected and recorded rubbish along a 100 metre stretch of the beach. This data will help MCS identify the main sources of litter on the beach and keep the issue of the dangers of marine litter high on the local agenda.
SeaFrance is the lead sponsor for the Marine Conservation Society’s Beachwatch project and takes its role very seriously.
Robin Wilkins, SeaFrance Managing Director commented,
“The statistics show that marine litter is getting worse rather than better, and we all have a responsibility to make sure we are not part of the problem. Joining in a Beachwatch beach clean near you means that you can make a real difference to our environment. All of our customers are also invited to donate to the Marine Conservation Society’s Beachwatch initiative when they book a crossing with us, and together with them, we have been able to raise over £600,000 in three and a half years.”
Many thanks to SEAFRANCE for the pic above showing volunteers at Kingsdown Beach.
SeaFrance operates up to 30 daily car ferry crossings on the Dover-Calais route. Fares for a car and up to nine passengers start from just £23 each way online for any duration and from £22 return for a day trip.
For more information on the beach clean and SeaFrance’s involvement with the Marine Conservation Society, visit www.seafrancecleanseas.com -ENDS-
