Staff from Lloyds Bank have given “A Day to Make a Difference” by taking part in a beach cleaning session at Langness and Castletown.

Thirteen members of Lloyds staff were involved in the day as part of the bank’s initiative to allow every member of staff to take a day off to help a local charity. The bonus was glorious weather on the day as they covered two lengthy stretches of beach at Langness, out towards the lighthouse, and in the afternoon along the beach at Castletown Bay.

They were supported by the charity Beach Buddies who provided all the necessary equipment on the day, which saw an impressive total of 35 large bags of rubbish collected. In addition, the Lloyds volunteers also collected large amounts of commercial fishing gear, such as ropes, nets and lobster pots.

They also made a particular point of collecting many hundreds of small items, such as pieces of fishing line which can tangle in the legs of newly born seabirds, and can cause the slow and painful amputation of their feet as the birds grow and the fishing line tightens.

“The Lloyds staff really got stuck in and made a difference,” said Bill Dale of Beach Buddies. “It’s great when you get a team like this who are keen to give their time and energy for the benefit of others, and in this case also the environment and wildlife.

“They all seemed to really enjoy the day, and most said they would like to take part in beach cleaning again, so it was really positive all round. In the middle of the nesting season, we made a particular point of collecting lots of fishing line, even really tiny pieces, which can cause such terrible injuries to newly born seabirds. It makes such a difference if these items are removed from the Island’s beaches.”

“None of our staff had taken part in beach cleaning before, but we all really enjoyed the challenge,” said Trisha Callow, of Lloyds Bank. “It was wonderful to see how a beach can be transformed with a team effort like this.  It was very rewarding, and I’m sure many who took part will join in beach cleaning again.”