Sponsored Beach Clean

Wareham and Purbeck Karate Club members, family and friends met at Kimmeridge Bay on the Dorset south coast on Sunday 20th February to carry out a sponsored beach clean. Congratulations to all who took part on raising raised £516 for Dreams Come True.

It was the most perfect day. The weather was dry, there was hazy sunshine, no wind, and with the lowest tide of the year, we were met with very big surf and swell running into the bay. The sea and car park was full of surfers (Kimmeridge is well known for its surf).

We all met outside the Marine Centre, where the Marine Warden Emma Rance took us all inside to the lecture room for instructions on what beach litter to pick up and what to leave. She also gave a brief talk on the Marine Reserve and all the wildlife found within it.

We all set off, forty of us in all, heading along the beach with our 'litter pickers' and bags picking up anything man made. We were also asked to look out for things like 'mermaids purses' (Skate egg cases) the number of which tell the Marine Centre how well things are doing out in the bay and in the sea. The juniors loved searching for these and several were found. After two hours or so we had picked up approximately 160 kilo's of rubbish! mainly plastic's, and of course one trainer shoe!! To give an insight into what is presently being found along the coast, apart from the plastic bottles, recently numerous very small plastic beads called "nurdles" are being discovered. These are the raw material "plastic" used for manufacturing. A ship called the "Napoli" that sank off the Devonshire coast not too long ago had a container load of these beads which now litter the south coast; birds and fish think they are possibly fish eggs so eat them.

Nurdles can carry harmful chemicals which hurt marine organisms, they can choke small animals, and they appear to be able to act as sponges to concentrate pollutants released into the marine environment.

We finished the beach clean at 4.00pm and apart from helping with a very worth while cause, doing the beach clean gave everyone a really enjoyable afternoon in this very unspoilt part of Dorset, and of course we hope to have raised several hundred pounds for the 'Dreams come True' charity.

Well done and thank you to all who took part.
Glyn Morgan Regional Officer Southwest