We have received a letter from Lynn Allen - Countryside Officer for the Suffolk Coast and HeathsAONB of which the Stour and Orwell AONB forms part (see below). Our committee is a very enthusiastic supporter of Beachwatch and we hope to be able to respond to Lynn in the near future with offers of help from the Society.
It's that time of year when plans are being made for Beachwatch - the largest national coastal clean-up and survey undertaken within the UK and Europe, organised by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). Last year was the 15rh annual event, and 3,911 volunteers picked up 346,054 items of litter from over 168.5km of coastline around the UK - an average of 2,054 items per km.
We broke new records in Suffolk with 31 groups involved in Beachwatch 2007, comprising 529 volunteers, who surveyed over 23km of our beautiful coast and estuaries. These high achievements means Suffolk was again one of the leading counties taking part in Beachwatch and earned us a special mention in the 2007 Final Report. Hopefully we can make Beachwatch 2008 an even bigger success, but obviously this is only possible with the help and support of people like you and your fellow volunteers.
Since it's launch in the county in 2005, we are continuing to achieve great results with the year-round Adopt-A-Beach project. We now have 25 groups registered, and owing to the example set by our existing Beachwatch and Adopt-A-Beach groups, numerous businesses and organisations are continuing to take part, using participation as team days out/team building exercises. Within this, I would like to make a special mention to Hutchison Ports who have made considerable financial contributions during the past two years, enabling us to purchase much needed litter sticks and bag hoops - both items make the job of picking up litter much easier and safer. WE are also grateful to Adnams for their contributions, and during the past year we have also received a donation from the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Connect fund.
You may be aware that the purpose of Beachwatch is not just to clean beaches. The litter collected is also recorded, so that MCS can identify the sources and target the main offenders, with the aim of reducing the pollution in our seas and on our beaches. Discarded marine litter - some of which is dangerous as well as unsightly - kills thousands of seabirds, mammals and turtles every year, and detrimentally affects thousands more. The overall hope is that our marine environment will be a safer place for the wildlife that lives there, and a more enjoyable place for us to visit.
Once again, the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Unit is co-ordinating Beachwatch in Suffolk. I am aware that you have expressed an interest in being involved in this years' Beachwatch event. If you would still like to be involved, please can I ask you to contact me to confirm your participation, and when and where you will be holding your event - either on Saturday 20th or Sunday 21st September. If you would like to join an existing group, please let me know the sections of coast or estuary that are of interest to you, and I will send you the information in due course. Courtesy of the local District Councils, I can supply any equipment, such as bin bags, litter sticks and gloves, to ensure that you undertake your event safely. For additional safety reasons, it is recommended that you carry out your survey approximately 1 hour after high tide. I do have a tide table if you need to check tide times, so please give me a call for this information. As usual, each group will need to have their own appointed organiser to co-ordinate their beach clean and survey. As part of the registration process, free packs are available to help with this and you will receive one when you register with Emma Snowden, Litter Projects Co-ordinator, MCS), tel: 01989 561590 or email emma.snowden@mcsuk.org.uk.
One thing I do need to mention (hence my early correspondence) is that I am actually leaving the Unit in a few months to go on maternity leave. It is my intention that I will be able to continue working up to and including the Beachwatch weekend, and then I will depart, however the baby may have other ideas, so we will just have to wait and see! Consequently, I am trying to organise things sooner rather than later in case I am not around nearer the time of Beachwatch, and I would really appreciate your help in trying to organise things as early as possible. If you are just able to let me know at this stage whether or not you intend to take part in B4eachwatch and if so, where, that would be really appreciated and an enormous help to me. Any other information such as numbers of people, equipment needed and when your event will take place would just be a bonus, but there's still time to clarify that detail!
If you have nay further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me Once again, thank you very much for your interest in this very worthwhile scheme, and I look forward to meeting you in due course, and wish you every success with your event. If you know of anyone else who would like to be involved in either scheme as an Organiser or Volunteer, please feel free to pass my details on to them. I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Yours sincerely
Lynn Allen - Countryside Officer
Suffolk Coast and Heaths Unit
mobile: 07850 212586
email: lynn.allen@et.suffolkcc.gov.uk
website: www.suffolkcoastandheaths.org
