Staff from the Isle of Man Bank’s Premium Banking team have joined in “making a difference” to the Island’s beaches by joining volunteer group Beach Buddies as part of the bank’s annual commitment to assist a community project.
The team spent two days involved in beach cleaning, tackling a stretch of around two miles between Glen Mooar and Balleira on the west coast, followed by a visit to a 1.5 miles stretch at Pooill Vaaish and the Scarlett areas in the south.
The bank was divided into two groups - the first tackling the west coast, where 20 bags of rubbish were collected, and the second taking on Pooill Vaaish and Scarlett where another 15 bags were collected.
Much of the rubbish collected, such as plastic bottles and tin cans, was recycled with assistance from the Island’s civic amenity sites.
“That is what this is all about,” said Beach Buddies co-ordinator Bill Dale. “It is really encouraging that lots of people are coming along to help Beach Buddies for the very first time, showing that there is a genuine concern for the environment.
“And it’s always interesting to listen to what the volunteers think about beach cleaning when they are all taking part for the first time.”
“I overheard lots of really positive comments, such as how surprised they were about the amount of rubbish on the beaches and, above all, how much they enjoyed themselves, and how pleased they were with their achievements.”
The collection on the footpath from Scarlett towards Pooill Vaaish was significant, in that this was the very first time that Beach Buddies has been involved in helping to clear rubbish from part of the Isle of Man’s Raad ny Foillan (coastal footpath).
Bill Dale added, “The beach cleaning by Beach Buddies’ volunteers has been a major success, but we have had it in mind for some time to expand the operation to the coastal footpath and, eventually, we hope to do the same for the Island’s glens and green walkways.
“At Scarlett, we tackled a section of the coastal footpath for the first time, and it was really worthwhile. Some of the rubbish we gathered had clearly been there a very long time. We found plastic bottles almost totally buried in soil and grass which I estimate must have been there a minimum of ten to fifteen years, perhaps longer. You could tell by the design of the bottles.
Beach Buddies will definitely be tackling the coastal footpath again in the future. We have a fantastic group of volunteers, which is growing all the time, and I know they will be keen to take up this challenge during the coming spring and summer and regularly throughout the year.”
He added, “What was really good about the Isle of Man Bank’s involvement is that they really did make a big difference, and many said they would very much like to come back again - that is great news for Beach Buddies and the Isle of Man’s beaches.”
Photo - The Isle of Man Bank teams at Balleira, Kirk Michael and Fisher's Hill, Arbory
