Staff and directors from accountancy firm Grant Thornton showed their determination and endured a downpour to clean up the beach and a glen in the south of the Island with the charity Beach Buddies.
Despite awful weather conditions, the 15 staff - given the day off by Grant Thornton to assist a cause in the local community - carried on with a smile at Derbyhaven and Silverdale Glen, removing large amounts of rubbish from both areas.
The day started at Derbyhaven where recent storms had washed up significant amounts of marine debris, including fishing gear, ropes and - as always - large quantities of various plastics. The session started in light rain, but ended two hours later in a downpour.
However, the Grant Thornton volunteers were determined to carry on, as the rain became even heavier in the afternoon, and action switched to the more sheltered glen at Silverdale, where several bags of rubbish were collected, leaving the popular playground and surrounding footpaths spotless.
“They were just brilliant,” said Beach Buddies’ founder Bill Dale. “In recent weeks the weather has been unpredictable, to say the least, and we have actually called off a few events as the last thing we want to do is deter volunteers from coming back in the future.
“But the Grant Thornton team were absolutely determined. Every single person got soaked to the skin, but they did it with a smile and, despite it being their very first time involved in beach (and glen) cleaning, they all said they would like to come back again, and some have already signed up for our weekly newsletter, so that they can take part again.
“It was a really memorable day, despite the weather, and they were a great team.”
Martin Kneale from Grant Thornton added: “At Grant Thornton we’re keen to show our support for the community which is why we encourage staff to get involved with local charities by giving them regular days off for CSR activities. Working alongside Bill was a great experience for our team as he shares our passion for the Island.
“Beach and glen cleaning was really rewarding as we could see our hard work paying off. We have such a beautiful Island and it was a pleasure to spend some time restoring parts of it. I’d like to say a big well done to my team who persevered despite the horrible weather."
