Helping hands needed to tackle tide of trash
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VOLUNTEERS are needed to help clean up Thurso beach ahead of the UK Pro Surfing Tour arriving for the Wave North festival next weekend.
Environmental charity Sunday Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) is hitting the far north and needs helping hands to get the top surfing spot up to scratch.
The beach clean and education event is billed as a fun and proactive way of mobilising coastal communities, surfers, water sports enthusiasts and environmentalists to tackle marine litter impacting on some of the UK’s most treasured surf spots and beaches.
Executive director Hugo Tagholm said it has the backing of a government body in its bid to clean the UK coastline.
"After the success of the North Devon Beach Clean Series in 2011, we are delighted to be working with the Crown Estate once again on the Autumn Beach Clean Series," he said.
"Their support is helping us reach out to coastal communities across the UK to encourage people to get involved with protecting our precious beaches and marine environments from marine litter."
Crown Estate stewardship manager Fiona Wynne is pleased to support SAS in its efforts.
"We hope that through these events individuals will not only have a greater opportunity to play a part in protecting their favourite beaches but also gain an understanding of how the Crown Estate is working to deliver a sustainable future for UK coastlines and coastal communities," she said.
The Autumn Beach Clean Series will also include events in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and around Scotland, taking place until November.
Events will run from 11am to 1pm unless otherwise stated. To register, e-mail dom@sas.org.uk or call 01872 555953.
SAS’s programme of beach clean events helps remove marine litter directly from the environment, raises public awareness and complements longer-term initiatives that aim to tackle marine litter at source.
The action comes as the Marine Conservation Society reports an alarming 100 per cent increase in the amount of man-made items washing up on beaches over the last 20 years.The majority of marine litter consists of plastic items such as drinks bottles, carrier bags, fishing line and sewage-related debris.
Plastics can take hundreds of years to degrade in the marine environment, causing significant harm to marine life, ecosystems and compromising the enjoyment and experiences of coastal visitors.
SAS believes that with almost 40 per cent of litter found along coastlines coming directly from public sources, the power to reduce the tide of trash is very much in our own hands.
The annual Wave North festival kicks off next Thursday with a series of surfing-related activities and live music.
Copies of the programme are available from Caithness Horizons, Thurso.
