Cornwall Waste Action (CWA), a Redruth based not for profit environmental organisation are extending their SeaScapes project until the end of the year, to enable more local people to take part in the project.
Throughout the summer, the SeaScapes project has been taking residents of Redruth and Camborne to a range of beaches within a twenty mile radius of the two Towns. Local people are then involved in beach clean ups and surveys as well as participating in wildlife walks and other environmental educational activities.
The aim of the SeaScapes project is to increase awareness of the local environment and encourage greater community use of public open spaces. The project is funded by the Big Lottery and is free for all participants; however the project is particularly keen to involve local residents who may not visit coastal areas for recreational purposes on a regular basis and do not have vehicle access.
Cornwall Waste Action have been involved in beach cleaning activity for over five years; they are now interested in expanding this work further, for the benefit of the community as well as the environment. Organisers now need additional volunteers to engage with the project to prove there is enough community support within the area for such practical environmental volunteering activities.
Research by the organisation, working with other community organisations, has discovered that a significant number of Cornish residents, including children, never visit a local beach. It is hoped that the SeaScapes project will encourage more people to visit the beach, use it as a recreational opportunity and value it as a special environmental area.
Volunteers taking part in the SeaScapes project will also be provided with an opportunity of taking part in coastal walks, bird-watching, wildflower identification, wild food foraging and rocky rambles, as well as educational games and fun events.
Cornwall Waste Action Co-ordinator, Guy Doncaster says “We have in Cornwall some great beaches with amazing surrounding environments, which should not just be the reserve of visitors from outside the area.” Mr Doncaster added “It is important for us all to spend time outside with nature for our own well-being, therefore we need to look after these open spaces for wildlife as well as humans, that is why our volunteers participate in beach cleans and surveys to highlight the problems of litter to the marine environment.”
The first winter beach visit starts on Saturday 15th October and will be followed by weekly events every Saturday until December 17th.
Families with children (no under 3′s) as well as adults are welcome to take part in the project, but everyone under 16 needs to be supervised by a parent or guardian. Free transport will be provided from locations in Redruth and Camborne and there will be free lunch for all participating volunteers.
Anyone interested in attending the SeaScapes events must register with Cornwall Waste Action in advance by email: (Aktiviere JavaScript, um die Email-Adresse zu sehen) or telephone: 01209 210883 or by completing a volunteer registration form Please let us know on which date/s you would like to take part in the project.
Some Marine Litter Factiods:
Nearly 80% of all marine debris is plastic, and in some parts of the ocean outweighs plankton 6:1
Plastic drinks bottles take 450 years to degrade
86% of all sea turtles are affected by marine debris
Plastic carrier bags take 10-20 years to degrade
It is estimated that 46,000 pieces of plastic litter are floating on every square mile of ocean
Disposable nappies take 450 years to degrade
An estimated 100,000 dolphins, whales, seals and sea turtles choke or get tangled in debris every year
Aluminium cans take 100 years to degrade (MCS;2010)