Yesterday, Wednesday 2nd November, Beach Buddies achieved what has to be undoubtedly its greatest landmark. We were honoured to host the Global Head of UNESCO Biosphere programme, Dr Han Qunli, at our base in Niarbyl.

The 45-minute meeting at Niarbyl, which also involved the former head of the UNESCO programme, Professor Peter Bridgewater, has resulted in agreement for an ongoing relationship where we share our success story with the world.

It appears that Beach Buddies has created a unique, but simple, system of engaging with the public to solve the problem of litter on beaches.

UNESCO now wants to team up with Beach Buddies to spread the message around the world that the massive problem of marine litter on beaches can be tackled through community involvement, backed by support from governments.

From the smallest of beginnings, with two volunteers in 2006, Beach Buddies has expanded to having close to 7,000 volunteers who have transformed the beaches of the Isle of Man, some of which were knee-deep in plastic bottles and tin cans washed up over 30 years.

This relationship with UNESCO Biosphere would not have happened without the massive input of the Isle of Man Government and numerous government officials and Ministers such as Phil Gawne, Richard Ronan, Peter Longworth, Richard Lole, Bernard Warden, Alistair Breed and Jo Overty and all the PR team in Government Office. Sincere thanks to all for the huge amount of work in the background.

It’s far too early to say that what we have achieved in the Isle of Man can be replicated on a much larger scale elsewhere, but this is a unique opportunity which UNESCO Biosphere feels is worthy of progressing.

Beach Buddies is delighted, and humbled, to join with UNESCO Biosphere to progress this project in the sincere hope that we can start an initiative which can make a positive change to the worldwide environment and tackle a pollution problem which no one, so far, has been able to solve.

We live in hope that we have, in some small way, contributed to making a change across the world.