Join the Marine Conservation Society’s 20th annual Beachwatch Big Weekend

The Marine Conservation Society is looking for topside ‘cleaners’ to take part in this year’s Beachwatch Big Weekend on 20- 23 September.

Now in its 20th year, Beachwatch Big Weekend brings together volunteers all around the country to clean up the UK’s beaches over the weekend of 20 – 23 September.

All data recorded on the litter retrieved will go towards MCS’s research into the issue of marine pollution around the UK and help turn the tide on marine litter.

“Beach litter has steadily risen over the two decades we’ve been recording it on UK beaches,” says MCS Beachwatch Officer, Lauren Eyles. “Beachwatch is the most respected and long standing beach litter survey in the UK, but we need more people to join us as volunteer beach cleaners to help make this 20th anniversary event the most comprehensive collection of data yet.”

MCS hopes the 20th anniversary event will have even more volunteers than in 2008 when over 5,000 people helped clean nearly 400 beaches.

“Cleaning a beach only takes a couple of hours at most,” says Lauren Eyles. “The Beachwatch organiser explains how to fill in the data forms and then it’s just a case of grabbing a litter picker and a bin bag and filling it up with rubbish!”

If you would like to get involved in an event that will benefit your favourite or nearest beach and help the issue of beach litter globally, visit www.mcsuk.org/beachwatch