Volunteers from Lecale Conservation have pledged their support to Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful’s BIG Spring Clean 2014 and will be holding a clean-up of Minerstown Beach on Saturday 22 February.
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Spring clean time: Down’s beaches are loaded up with rubbish after the many storms this winter. [/caption]
“Exceptionally high tides and backing winds have resulted in huge amounts of flotsam and jetsam being washed up on our local coastlines. As well as being very unsightly, plastic litter in particular poses a great danger to sea life. It could be a blessing in disguise that the big tides have thrown so much of this plastic waste high up the shore where we will can easily lift it.” explained Doris Noe of Lecale Conservation.
She added: “We hope to see many new volunteers joining in as this will be of real benefit to the marine environment. The option of doing nothing simply does not fit with the notion of this stretch of coast being an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a designation many people campaigned for.”
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Getting ready for the Big Spring Clean at Minerstown beach last year were Tidy NI Campaign Officer Patricia Magee, Rebecca McGreevy, Down Council Assistant Education Officer, and Doris Noe, Lecale Conservation Chairperson.[/caption]
“The group of passionate volunteers will meet at the steps leading down to Minerstown beach, half-way between Rossglass and Minerstown Tavern. Litter picking equipment will be provided on the day by Down District Council and Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.”
Nicola Murray from Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful added: “This is an excellent opportunity to come along and get involved in an organised clean-up of one of Northern Ireland’s finest beauty spots. We hope that through the positive action of the BIG Spring Clean campaign we can rid Northern Ireland of litter. Many hands make light work so come along and be part of something BIG!”
Clean Up Details: takes place on Saturday 22 February, 10-12.00 noon at Minerstown beach, half-way between Rossglass and Minerstown Tavern. For further information please contact Dorris Noe on 028 4484 3141.
The BIG Spring Clean aims to mobilise 100,000 volunteers this year making it the most ambitious litter lift ever. www.bigspringcleanni.org
Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful remains the province’s leading authority on litter issues, and provides a unique service to communities, businesses, councils and schools throughout Northern Ireland. Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful runs the Northern Ireland Borough Cleanliness Survey, TIDY Business, Eco-Schools and the Blue Flag, Seaside Awards and Clean Coast Programme for beaches, the Green Flag Award for public open spaces.
The charity also runs the BIG Spring Clean, the largest volunteer clean-up campaign in Northern Ireland, which involved over 50,000 volunteers in 2013. The target for 2014 is to involve 100,000 people.
The BIG Spring Clean
The BIG Spring Clean is Keep Northern Ireland’s flagship volunteering and awareness raising campaign aimed at promoting volunteering opportunities for groups, businesses and individuals.
The programme supports local community clean-ups across all 26 council areas in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland’s fastest growing community clean-up volunteering campaign and is open to people and groups from all communities wishing to rid their streets of litter and discarded rubbish.
BIG Spring Clean 2013 mobilised over 53,000 volunteers in clean up events across Northern Ireland, double the number in 2012, and removed an amazing 163 tonnes of waste from our streets, coastal and rural areas. In 2014 they aim to engage with 100,000 volunteers, so they need you to be part of something BIG.
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