BEACH CLEAN UP.
Sunday 22nd September 2002


A very big thank you to all those who turned out on a rather dubious Sunday in September to take part in the beach clean. It was the first beach-wise event that the club has organised as part of the National data gathering for the Marine Conservation Society. We surveyed the beach at South Landing, Bridlington - only a small beach and when we turned up it looked quite clean but under all the piles of seaweed a telltale speck of orange would turn into a huge coil of rope or sacking.

13 members and their families turned up in total - quite encouraging considering the lack of time I had to publicise the event and drum up support. They were:

  • Dean Woodthorpe,
  • Chris and Liz Storey
  • Dermott Kelly and his children, Jonathan and Stephanie
  • Simon Moir with his wife Lynn and children, Rebecca and Matthew
  • Andy Moss
  • Gary and I

Most of the litter we collected was plastic or polystyrene - it really did make me think about what I buy that's wrapped in plastic!! All the rubbish was counted and categorised and altogether there were:

  • 142 plastic drinks bottles 
  • 38 pieces of plastic rope or netting99 pieces of plastic
  • 99 pieces of plastic
  • 11 lots of fishing line
  • 3 broken up lobster pots -with all the netting, iron bars and plastic rope
  • 26 drinks cans
  • A piece from a huge tyre
  • A pair of waders - in quite good condition!
  • 33 plastic bags

Plus various other miscellaneous things including a huge blue plastic fishing box about 2m x 2m x 1.5m - big enough for 3 children to sit in for the Bridlington Free Press photographer who turned up to catch us on film!

We finished off with a bit of a BBQ on the beach, which helped to fill a little hole until people got home, and made it all a bit more fun.

Having organised this event this year on a small scale to see how it went I plan to arrange it again next year maybe with some boats involved to do an underwater clean up too. Hopefully more people will come along and we can make it more of a social event - I'll keep you posted. In the meantime please think twice before you throw anything into the sea if you are out on a boat - especially plastic bottles - they never bio-degrade and stay in the sea until they get washed up to spoil a lovely little beach or get eaten and kill an unsuspecting seal or dolphin.

As a club we subscribe to the Marine Conservation Society and get the chance to be involved in all sorts of activities that they organise - including a series of diving activities usually in May/June. I was not aware of these early enough this year to publicise them to the membership but will do next year as soon as we know dates.

Thanks again to all the volunteers, happy diving,

Helen Cooper