When he saw the name of the winner of the IOM Newspapers Award for Excellence for the Volunteer of the Year 2016, David Mylchreest, Chairman of Mylchreests Motors, couldn’t have been more pleased: it was awarded to Bill Dale from Beach Buddies, a Charity his company has been supporting for some time.

“When Trudy Williamson from Isle of Man Newspapers suggested that Mylchreests sponsor this particular award, we didn’t even know who was on the short list,” says David, “When I opened the envelope on the night I knew that all the nominees were equally as deserving, so I was thrilled to find that I was to present it to Bill.”

The award, which was presented at a black tie gala last week, was the icing on this year’s cake for Bill Dale. “Only last month Beach Buddies was singled out by the Secretary of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere programme Mr Han Qunli, who made a point of visiting our Niarbyl base when the Island was formally made a UNESCO Biosphere site, and I didn’t think 2016 could get any better,” says Bill. “To have been shortlisted for this award was one thing, but to have won was an unexpected bonus. Although it’s my name on the award, I think of it as a public thank you to the nearly 7,000 volunteers who take part in our beach cleans, and the many more who help clean the rubbish from the beaches and glens while they’re out and about, all working tirelessly and enthusiastically to keep the Isle of Man beautiful.”

When Beach Buddies bought its Mitsubishi truck from Mylchreests three years ago thanks to sponsorship from AFD Software of Ramsey, David added his own company’s support by giving the charity a free servicing deal for the truck, which is still in excellent mechanical health despite its heavy use.

“Beach Buddies is the biggest working group of volunteers on the Island by a long way,” says David, “and as a Manx company we wanted to add our support to this uniquely Manx charity. We’d rather the money raised by its sponsors and fundraisers was spent on the necessary sacks, bags, litter-pickers and bins, and not on the upkeep of its truck.”

Bill started cleaning beaches in a small way almost exactly 10 years ago, when he realised how much rubbish he was picking up himself when walking his dogs. In January 2007 Bill and a friend collected 300 bags of rubbish from Ballaugh Beach and from that, Beach Buddies was born. It’s collected many more volunteers along the way and in 2014 became a registered Isle of Man Charity. And the rest, as they say, is history.

“I can only put our success down to our ‘can-do’ attitude,” says Bill. “Nothing fancy. It’s quite simple: collect rubbish, clean up our Island. There’s nothing to sign up to, no spam emails and no pressure on anyone. Our beach cleans are practical, enjoyable and open to all and we’ve got bins with bag dispensers across the Island to use by anyone who finds their regular walks are blighted by rubbish.”

And it’s this simplicity which David Mylchreest finds appealing. “As a family run, Manx company Mylchreest Motors is involved with a number of charities and events, from motorsports to the Royal Manx Show, all of which are run by volunteers. Beach Buddies is no different,” David says. “Bill and his 7,000-strong army are out there in all weathers to improve our environment, the Island we call home. Mylchreests Motors is very proud to support Beach Buddies, and I was honoured to present the IOM Newspapers Award to Bill Dale, a man who with such a simple idea has caught the imagination of so many.”

Photo - David Mylchreest (left) with Bill Dale and the Beach Buddies Mitsubishi Truck.