A giant beach cleaning session is planned for the north of the Island this month to complete a long summer’s work to remove rubbish which been gathering amongst the sand dunes for decades.
The charity Beach Buddies is teaming up with Chartered Financial Planners Blythe Financial, for a special event on Saturday, October 18th, which is hoped to attract as many as 100 volunteers for the final assault on a two mile stretch between Ballaghennie and the Point of Ayre.
Blythe Financial is the latest company to support the charity with a three year sponsorship of a beach bin at the Ballaghennie Ayres Nature Reserve.
“We believe there is more than 20 years’ of rubbish along this coastline which was unearthed from the sand dunes in the storms at the beginning of the year,” said Beach Buddies’ founder Bill Dale.
“We have covered the stretch of beach from Jurby to Ballaghennie, and this last section to the Point of Ayre will conclude a fantastic effort by our volunteers.
“The glorious summer weather has made life a lot easier for everyone, but there has still been an amazing amount of energy and time put into this task, collecting rubbish and some extremely large items which have clearly been there for a very long time.”
Alan and Sue Blythe, owners of Blythe Financial, who are keen conservationists and whose dogs love walking along this coastline, hope that their special event will be attended by regular Beach Buddies’ volunteers, and that lots of new faces will join in on October 18th and get involved in the spirit of beach cleaning.
“We love this stretch of beach,” said Sue and Alan. “It’s such a shame that there is so much rubbish which has gathered over the years. But we have seen what can be done further down the coast, so we are very keen to get involved in this final big event to leave this beautiful section of the Isle of Man’s coastline looking at its very best.”
The event starts at 10.30 am on Saturday, October 18th, meeting at the lighthouse at the Point of Ayre, and all equipment is provided by Beach Buddies, including bin bags, gloves and litterpickers, and Beach Buddies removes all rubbish collected afterwards. Volunteers are required to bring decent walking boots and clothing suitable for weather conditions on the day.
Families and children are warmly welcomed, and also well behaved dogs. There is no need to register beforehand. Anyone can arrive on the day, even if it’s for their first ever involvement with beach cleaning.
“We would love to see as many as 100 people, even more,” added Bill Dale. “We always get good support for events in the north, but this is a very special occasion, and probably one of the final ones along this beautiful coastline until the winter.
“It’s good fun, it’s relaxed and there’s always a warm welcome, and volunteers can do as much or as little as they like. It’s all about like-minded people getting together to do something for our lovely Island and the wildlife. For just a little bit of our time it makes a massive difference.”
Beach Buddies can be followed on Facebook: “Beach Buddies Isle of Man” and contacted via email: beachbuddies@manx.net.
Photo - Alan and Sue Blythe of Blythe Financial, sponsors of the final beach cleaning session at the Point of Ayre, and sponsors of the latest Beach Buddies bin, at the Ballaghennie Nature Reserve.
