We were delighted to see 47 volunteers come together for our recent beach clean at Appley Tower Beach, organised by Top Mops in support of the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).
The clean covered the coastline from the Lifeboat Station towards Puckpool, with volunteers spending the morning collecting litter and helping to look after one of the Isle of Wight’s popular stretches of coastline.
More than just picking up litter
As part of the Marine Conservation Society’s Beachwatch programme, the event wasn’t only about removing rubbish.
A designated section of beach was surveyed, with the litter found being identified and recorded. This information has been submitted to MCS and contributes to the data it collects from beach cleans around the UK to better understand the types and sources of litter reaching our coastline.
During the clean, volunteers collected seven bags of litter, with 19.5kg of waste recorded from the survey area alone. Among the items recorded were 73 cigarette butts, alongside a wide range of everyday litter and some rather more unusual finds – including a concrete bollard!
A fantastic community turnout
The biggest success of the morning was the response from the local community.
Having 47 people turn up and give their time made a huge difference to how much of the beach we were able to cover, and it was brilliant to see people of all ages getting involved.
We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who joined us. Whether you collected litter, helped with the survey or simply helped spread the word beforehand, your support was greatly appreciated.
At Top Mops, looking after the environment is something we try to put into practice, not just talk about. Activities like this give us an opportunity to make a difference locally while also supporting the wider work being carried out by organisations such as the Marine Conservation Society.
Following such a positive turnout, we hope this won’t be our last beach clean.
Thank you again to all 47 volunteers who helped make the morning such a success!
