BEACH Buddies has had its busiest ever week on record, after holding no fewer than six events in seven days at beaches and litter hotspots around the Island.
At venues ranging from the car park at the NSC to the remote coves of Scarlett, the charity held events attended by more than 120 people, collecting over a tonne of rubbish, much of which was recycled.
Beach Buddies hosted cleaning sessions at the NSC, Port Grenaugh, Scarlett, Groudle and twice at Castletown Bay. Five of the events were organised specially for different companies and organisations. These included Bibby’s, 1st Malew Scouts Viking Troop, IOM Junior Trials Club???, Marks & Spencer and Isle of Man College.
“This year has been exceptional in terms of the number of new groups and companies who want to join us in cleaning up the Island,” said Beach Buddies founder Bill Dale.
“We have seen lots of familiar faces, but, most importantly, lots of new faces who have all left with a smile, even on the days when the weather wasn’t very kind.
“It’s very encouraging that more and more people are showing how much they care about our environment and the wildlife, by getting involved and giving just an hour or so of their time to make a difference.”
The hectic schedule started with Beach Buddies hosting its normal weekend session at a new venue, when 19 volunteers collected a massive 28 bags of rubbish at the NSC, for which they were later praised by NSC management.
In the following seven days, Beach Buddies organised events for Isle of Man College at Port Grenaugh (14 volunteers, 8 bags), Scarlett for Junior Trials???? (23 volunteers, 20 bags), Groudle for Bibby’s (9 volunteers, 9 bags), Castletown Bay for 1st Malew Scouts Viking Troop (13 volunteers, 28 bags) and again at Castletown Bay for the MCS and Marks & Spencer (48 volunteers, 34 bags).
In total, there were 126 volunteers in action, 71 of which were taking part for the first time, collecting 99 full bags of rubbish, weighing more than one tonne.
In addition, the Marks & Spencer event at Castletown saw a new innovation when, for the first time, volunteers were asked to keep a count of the individual items collected.
The total of 7,378 items, ranging from a gigantic piece of netting to tiny pieces of plastic, came as a surprise to the majority of volunteers, most of which had guessed before the session that there would be less than half the quantity.
Beach Buddies intends to count individual items on a regular basis in the future and, based on the figures, calculates on current collection rates that during 2015 the total number of items collected will exceed 1.5 million, compared to just over 1 million in 2014.
“These are staggering, and worrying, statistics,” added Bill Dale, “and they emphasise the importance of what our volunteers are doing, not just on beaches, but across the Isle of Man.
“We are receiving more and more reports of problems with the careless and unnecessary dumping of rubbish, so it’s more important than ever that Beach Buddies maintains these levels of activity.
“The good news is that we are receiving more and more offers of helps from teams of people, families, companies and individuals who want to make a difference, and we cannot express too strongly our sincere thanks to every single person who has given even just an hour of their time to get involved.”
• This weekend, Beach Buddies will be returning to the North Ramsey promenade beach, an area plagued by the never-ending deposit of babywipes and other rubbish. The session starts at 10.30am on Sunday morning - all the necessary equipment will be provided.
• Beach Buddies runs team beach cleaning sessions every weekend, usually on Sunday mornings, lasting a maximum of 90 minutes. All ages are welcome and the necessary equipment is provided by the charity, with all items removed by Beach Buddies, and recycled where possible. We are very grateful to the sponsors who make this possible. These include AFD Software, SITA, Offshore Public Relations, WDS Limited, Celton Manx, the Department of Infrastructure, The Scott Trust, Isle of Man Photos, The Elizabeth Clucas Trust, The Society for the Preservation of the Manx Countryside, Blythe Financial, Aston International, Charlie’s Mum and Dad, Zero Waste Mann, Ramsey Grammar School, Andy Kerruish, Lloyds Bank, Bobby Sadler Agricultural, Santander, Merrill Lynch, Douglas Rotary, Cains, Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, Zurich, Shoprite and Juan Knight OffRoad.
• If your company would like to become part of this prestigious list please send an e-mail to find out about our sponsorship opportunities. Beach Buddies is a registered charity - No. 1158.
• Beach Buddies also runs corporate “team building days”, corporate barbecues (summer months), and hosts competitive corporate beach cleaning events.
• To register for e-mail updates on Beach Buddies or to find out about sponsorship or team building events please send a message to beachbuddies@manx.net or phone 496560
Photo: Some of the 48 volunteers who supported the Marks & Spencer event at Castletown
