Thousands of seaside lovers from across Great Britain are being encouraged to grab a pair of ‘beach clean gloves’ to help Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) rid our coastline of marine litter this October.
Thanks to support from the The Crown Estate and Greggs, SAS has recruited and equipped a team of ‘Lead Volunteers’ who, together, will be leading over 250 Autumn Beach Cleans at many of the UK’s most beautiful beaches.
Surfers Against Sewage is now inviting all coastal enthusiasts, from big wave surfers to sandcastle makers, to join their local Autumn Beach Clean this 24th – 30thOctober and give a little back to the precious coastal environments that are so important for the health and wellbeing of communities nationwide.
Once again Bristol’s beautiful Avon Gorge will be getting the Autumn Beach Cleans treatment, but there will be 4 events taking place in the Bristol and Somerset area. For full details of your nearest beach clean visit www.sas.org.uk/events/. There’s no need to register, just arrive at the time and date advertised wearing suitable clothing, say hello to the Lead Volunteer and you’ll be made to feel like part of the SAS family! For more information contact SAS’s beach clean team on [email protected] or 01872 553001.
| Beach | Region | Date | Time |
| Avon Gorge | Bristol | Saturday 29th October | 09:00 – 13:00 |
| Clevedon | Somerset | Saturday 24th September | 08:00 – 10:00 |
| Minehead | Somerset | Sunday 9th October | 14:40 – 16:00 |
With over 269,000 tonnes of floating plastic in our oceans (1) Surfers Against Sewage recognise that we cannot end the marine litter crisis with beach cleans alone. So this year SAS will also be calling on all Autumn Beach Clean volunteers to help ‘beyond the beach clean’ by supporting their new ‘Message In A Bottle’ campaign by recording and recycling all plastic bottles and cans found at each and every beach clean. Sadly there are now an incredible 250 plastic bottles per kilometre of the UK’s beaches (2) and together with cans they make up approximately 40% of all litter (by volume) (3), so SAS expect to record huge numbers of them this autumn.
The Autumn Beach Cleans unites and inspires coastal communities across Great Britain to take action against this often overwhelming ‘marine litter crisis’. It strengthens coastal communities and forges lasting friendships and keeps our beaches safe for everyone to use. Head down to your nearest event this October the 24th – 30th and become part of the SAS beach clean team!
Dom Ferris, SAS’s Projects Manager says: “We are so incredibly proud of our Lead Volunteers! From the Channel Islands to the Isle of Harris and Great Yarmouth to Culmore Point in Northern Ireland these tireless individuals set a truly inspiring example for us all. Let’s recognize this effort and join them in protecting our beautiful beaches”
Gary Thompson, Coastal Manager from the Crown Estate says: “As owner of around half the UK foreshore, we know that protecting and enhancing the coastal environment is crucial to the future of wildlife and the sustainable development of this natural asset over the long term. We’re therefore delighted to be working again with Surfers Against Sewage to support these events which provide people with an opportunity to play a part in protecting their favourite beaches and gain an understanding of the coastal zone.”
Raymond Reynolds of Greggs says: “We want Greggs to have a positive impact on people’s lives and believe it is our responsibility to do business in a way that brings benefits to people who shop with us, work for us, supply us, or live near us. In addition, we recognise our broader responsibility to respect the environment and reduce our impact on the world around us.
The 5p carrier bag charge has provided us with a new source of funds which we are using to help us achieve this and we are delighted to be working in partnership with a number of organisations including Surfers Against Sewage to tackle the unacceptable social problem of litter.
Marine litter, like the litter that is generated within close proximity to our shops is a man-made problem which has detrimental impact on both the environment and the wildlife that it encounters. We believe that by teaming up with Surfers Against Sewage on their Autumn Beach Clean Series we will encourage people to make positive changes in their behaviours both on our beaches and streets.”
For further information on the Autumn Beach please check www.sas.org.uk and the SAS Events Page for more details.
