The chairman of Castletown Commissioners has paid tribute to the people of the town following their first ever “Community Clean Up” event.

Alwyn Collister said the response from the public to the joint initiative between the Commissioners and the charity Beach Buddies had been “an outstanding success” which would be repeated in the future.

“The Commissioners sincerely appreciate the support of everyone who took part in this event. I think everyone was surprised by just how much material was collected in just over an hour. This was an outstanding success.”

Members and staff of the Commissioners, Castletown MHK Richard Ronan and his family and local residents took part in the clean-up, together with volunteers from Beach Buddies.

The group tackled various places around the town, concentrating on the narrow lanes and footpaths where rubbish tends to gather, such as alongside Castle Rushen High School and The Buchan, as well as the harbour and riverside.

A total of 34 bin bags of rubbish were collected, mostly tin cans, plastic bottles, plastic food wrappers and fast food containers.  However, there were also a number of much larger items, including a large piece of metal shuttering retrieved from the beach, sheets of galvanised metal, tyres and plastic fencing.

The materials collected afterwards were taken to the amenity site, with numerous items recycled.

All volunteers gathered afterwards in the Civic Centre for refreshments, and vouchers were handed out to young volunteers, kindly donated by the Southern Swimming Pool.

Alwyn Collister added, “When you organise an event like this you’re never quite sure how many people will respond and what the public reaction will be, but we were delighted with the numbers, and we have received some very positive feedback since the event from local residents.

“I would also thank all those who have regularly cleaned the beaches in conjunction with Beach Buddies over the last 12 months, which has been a never-ending task.

“This is an exercise we will definitely repeat in the future, and I’m sure this will now become a regular event on the calendar in Castletown, probably at least twice a year.”

Bill Dale of Beach Buddies said, “This is the first time a local authority has worked like this in conjunction with Beach Buddies, and Castletown Commissioners are to be congratulated on taking the initiative.

“We hope that this will encourage other local authorities to want to do something similar. Beach Buddies is very happy to provide all the equipment necessary and help to host events like this.”