Marine Life & Conservation
Can You Help Create Scotland’s Biggest Beach Cleaning Event?
Leading marine charity The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is urging people who love the coast to organise a beach clean and survey and do their bit in the worldwide fight against marine litter.
MCS will be running its 24th annual Great British Beach Clean-up event in Scotland between the 15th and 18th September and the charity hopes this year’s clean-up in the country will help put the UK in the top ten of the 100 or so participating countries and regions which take part in the International Coastal Clean-up during the same weekend every year.
“Scotland has more of the UK’s coastline than anywhere else,” says Catherine Gemmell, MCS Scotland Conservation Officer. “Many communities rely on the cleanliness of beaches for their coastal economy. Beach litter and the problems it causes to both humans and wildlife is a huge issue that we need everyone’s help with; from schools and communities to councillors and MSPs we hope to see everyone helping look after their beach this September.”
During the 2016 Great British Beach Clean event in Scotland, 1,744 volunteers cleaned 121 beaches, picking up, on average, 459 items of litter per 100km they cleaned. Plastic bottles on Scottish beaches rose by 21.3% compared to 2015
In Scotland, MCS is a founding partner of the ‘Have you got the bottle’ campaign led by the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS).
“We’re confident that evidence from other countries and a successful trial at Heriot-Watt University shows that a Scotland-wide roll-out of a DRS would lead to reduction in the number of drinks containers that blight our beaches,” says Calum Duncan, MCS Head of Conservation in Scotland. “We were delighted to hear that the Scottish Government has asked Zero Waste Scotland to explore possible designs for a DRS system. That’s why it’s so important that this year we try and clean more beaches to help show everybody throughout Scotland what a huge problem litter, and especially plastic bottle litter, is on Scottish beaches.”
Although the Great British Beach Clean doesn’t take place until September, MCS says it’s vital that new organisers get involved now so volunteers have enough time to sign up to the new clean-ups.
The MCS Great British Beach Clean is part of Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Clean-up. Last year volunteers, at beaches all over the world, covered a distance of 14,990 miles and collected weird finds ranging from a piano to drones, selfie sticks to typewriters. In the UK 364 beaches were cleaned.
Running a beach clean has never been simpler with the introduction of a fantastic interactive website with lots of downloadable resources to help people promote their clean-ups as well as support from the Beachwatch team at MCS headquarters both online and on the phone.
“We would love to see 150 beaches cleaned in Scotland this year,” says Catherine Gemmell “Anyone wishing to run a beach clean will get lots of help from MCS. The coast isn’t just for a week’s holiday…it’s for all year round.”
The Great British Beach Clean is part of the year-long Waitrose Beach and River Clean-up and is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Head of Charities for People’s Postcode Lottery, Clara Govier, said: “I’m delighted that players of People’s Postcode Lottery are supporting this project. It’s such an important initiative, and the more beach cleans that are run around the country the better. Having been on clean-ups with MCS, I found them really fulfilling and great fun.”
If you would like to organise a beach clean event in Scotland that will benefit your favourite or nearest beach and help tackle beach litter globally, visit www.mcsuk.org/greatbritishbeachclean or telephone 01989 566017.
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
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- Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter
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- Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs
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- Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead
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- Oceanic Whitetip by ATM
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- Silky Street by ScapaJoe
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.
Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.
On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.
Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.
Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.
Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”
The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.
To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.
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