BeachCare News
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BeachCare News |
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| 42 volunteers and gave the shoreline around Sandgate Marsh, Cark a spring clean on Saturday 12 April. The event organised by Morecambe Bay Partnership, with support from Bay Search and Rescue, Holker Estates, SLDC and Philip Wilson of Sandgate farm, removed a staggering 3½ tonnes of waste from the shore. |
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Volunteer
organiser Matt Sanderson said,
"The help that Bay Search and Rescue have given us today is brilliant, but I would really like to thank everyone who has been here today - they all worked very hard indeed. And our thanks too, to Phillip Wilson of Sandgate Farm for providing this trailer and Holker Estates and SLDC for their support. |
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The assistance from eight
members of Bay Search and Rescue team with
their Hagglund tracked rescue vehicle meant
that we could collect the tyres and large
items much more efficiently. It made the cleanup more of an event for the volunteers, some of who enjoyed a ride in the trailers." Jules Evans, on the left here, handled the local publicity, and said "I really enjoyed today and am delighted by the support and the result." |
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In spite of
near gale force winds, 12 people turned out
to support a beach clean on Saturday 1 March
at Low Bank foreshore, Walney removing 130
kg of litter and cleaning around half a
km of shore. The event, organised by Morecambe Bay Partnership, was part of the BeachCare programme taking action to improve the appearance of our coast. |
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Volunteer
organiser Matt Sanderson said, "I am always
hearted by the willingness of volunteers to
come out in all weathers. It's a good job
that we have a wind-resistant team today
because it's a fierce, near-gale-force wind;
the sunshine helps though. Very many thanks to everyone who joined us." |
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Matt is
keen to hear from
anyone who would like to take part in future
events. The next is provisionally set
for Saturday 29 March starting at 10 am -
location to be confirmed.
Contact Matt
Sanderson |
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29
February 2008
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In spite of
filthy weather an astonishing 190
willing volunteers took part in a massive
clean up of the shore at Rossal, near
Fleetwood where the beach was strewn with
plastic packaging from the stricken
Riverdance vessel. Many of the volunteers were taking part in student volunteering week and came from all around the region. |
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was tremendous satisfaction in seeing the
results of their efforts after the cleanup.
2 tonnes of material was removed, clearing 1 km of the beach. And, considering the dreadful weather, this was a very robust retort from student volunteers to anyone who mutters about the youth of today. |
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A beach clean held on Saturday 19 January was supported by seventy one people. The event was organised by Morecambe Bay Partnership, jointly with the National Trust.
Pete Burton, Warden of Sandscale Haws said, “We are delighted by the support from local people, it goes to show how much they care about this piece of coast. And it is always surprising what turns up – this time we returned two wheely bins to the council.”
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We
have two well-established BeachCare groups that meet
regularly at Arnside/Silverdale and Hest
Bank/Morecambe, and
now we have a new group setting up in
Furness.
Matt Sanderson, has volunteered to help support this new Furness BeachCare group. |
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The first
event he
ran at Foulney on Saturday 3 November was a
tremendous success with 25 volunteers
turning up to help clear 152 kg of litter.
Mike Douglas of Cumbria Wildlife Trust supported the event too and many new volunteers joined in. |
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BeachCare
has enjoyed increased support from corporate
sponsors in 2007.
Staff from Associated British Ports (ABP),
Hydrocarbon Resources Limited (part of
Centrica Energy), O2
(mobile telecoms) and Volker Stevin have
attended beach cleans in their areas.
This
has raised the profile of BeachCare and helped
us engage with new volunteers. We are grateful
for their support.
Donations from Arnside and Silverdale Parish Councils, the mobile phone company O2, and Associated British Ports have enabled us to purchase two new sets of equipment. These will be kept in Arnside and Barrow, and be more readily available for community volunteer groups to use.
At the clean on 22 September at Holgates, Barnaby Black from O2 came along to present the shiny new equipment that their funding support has provided, meet volunteers and join in the clean up. As you see above, the beach was looking good when we were finished.
Catriona Stamp’s artists book, ‘Beach Findings’, which is about the litter around Morecambe Bay and the efforts of volunteers to clean it up, is now completed. To see the results visit her website, www.artistsbooks.org and look for ‘Beach Findings’ in the category Special Books. Or you can see the book at our Morecambe Bay Partnership AGM on 8 Nov 2007 at the Netherwood Hotel, Grange-over- Sands.
Catriona said, ‘I undertook this project because I am passionate about the local environment and I wanted to contribute my skills as an artist on the issue of beach litter, and to help publicise the efforts of members of BeachCare and other volunteer litter-picking groups. I hope my book helps to raise awareness about some of the problems caused by beach litter, and to motivate more people to take their litter home with them.’
She added, ‘I want to thank the volunteers who regularly pick up the beach litter for allowing me to talk to them, and I hope the book reflects some of their concerns. I learnt a great deal from the volunteers about how badly the litter affects the wildlife, as well as local people and their animals.’
As a result of requests from some of the
volunteers Catriona is publishing some
copies of the book in paperback, cost £10
plus £1.50 P&P, with £1 donated to Beach
Care for each copy sold. To order a copy,
please contact Catriona on 01524 840530, on
catriona(at)artistsbooks.org or send a
cheque to 38 Coverdale Road,
Lancaster LA1 5PY
Catriona Stamp received funding from Arts Council England to work on this project.
135 students took part in this event on 21 February 2006 at Fleetwood as part of the National Student Volunteering Week. We were pleased to welcome student volunteers from many different countries and Universities in Lancaster, Manchester, Liverpool, Bolton, Chester, Preston and Ambleside. Our partners for this event were St. Martin’s College and Wyre District Council, both provided tremendous support.
860 Kg of litter was collected, surveyed, and removed. A total of 4878 items were recorded on survey sheets, of these, at least 57% were plastic items. There was a shocking 144 items of female sanitary and 41 balloons.
Claire Dixon (in the white hat) is one of our most dedicated volunteers. She has been very active in BeachCare and helps to run the recycling scheme. In recognition of her outstanding contribution, the Partnership trustees awarded her with a certificate at the BeachCare training/social event on 17 January 2006.
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