There was a fantastic team effort by the Beach Buddies volunteers on Saturday, as they responded to a report from the public that Fleshwick Beach was in serious need of a clear-up. It was the first trip to Fleshwick for a team of our volunteers this year, although we do know one individuals who go there occasionally to collect rubbish. But this was a really big job, and all the 30 volunteers were needed to sort out not only the beach, but also the stream which was choked with rubbish, and also the roadsides.
Amongst the find were any number of the plastic bands which became infamous when a basking shark was photographed with one around its nose, and the remains of a lawn mower which some idiot had thrown into the stream. Why on earth this wasn't taken to the amenity site is beyond us. We don’t like to pick out individuals, because everyone does a great job, but on this occasion it would be remiss of us not to mention Neil and Cathy - two of the new volunteers who live just up the road from Fleshwick beach. They arrived with a smile on their face, picked up bags, gloves and litterpickers and then disappeared. An hour later they re-appeared on top of a hill, covered in mud and dragging bags full to the brim with rubbish, having clambered down a gulley and filled a pile of bags in a cove log-jammed with plastic. It was a messy, messy job, and they filled an amazing 15 bags with the plastic and polystyrene found in the gulley, and then ran out of bags! We hope to get help from the lifeboat or Coastguards to remove the rubbish from the cove and take it to the beach where the Beach Buddies’ truck and trailer can remove the bags to the amenity site. Neil and Cathy - this was some debut! A brilliant job. We also had another new volunteer who travelled all the way from Laxey to help. Sorry, didn’t catch the name, but he wants to join us again, and he also did a great job on his first outing. This was one of those days where we arrived to find an absolute mess, and left the place looking immaculate. It makes you realise that there are far more good people out there than you might imagine.
