Westward Ho! was awarded its "Plastic Free Community" status by Surfers Against Sewage in March 2018, an award we are very proud of. Part of our communities commitment to keeping our beach plastic free is the regular, impromptu plus organised beach cleans. After every high tide the ocean leaves littered plastic on the beach tide line. There is always the need for a beach clean.
Whether you are an individual, a school class or an organised group, we welcome your beach cleaning efforts. You can find 2minutebeachcleaning boards with litter pickers and bags outside The Pig and Olive pizza restaurant on Pebbleridge Road and North Devon Surf School. To organise a larger group just contact the Northam Burrows rangers who will be able to help you. Please help yourself to the equipment but please return it!
Things to consider:-
-Make sure someone knows where you are going and what time you plan to be back.
-Be aware of the tide and don’t allow yourself to get cut off.
-If you can, wear protective gloves or use a litter picker. If you can’t, wash your hands afterwards.
-Supervise your children and make sure they don’t pick up sharps, poo or dead things.
-Do not pick up needles or glass or any other sharps unless you have somewhere safe to put them.
-Do not pick up anything organic that is not beach litter. Eg dead animals and poo!
-If you find a marine mammal (dolphin, seal etc) please report it. This is very important if the animal is still alive. Putting them back in the sea can be a risk, especially if young. Report it to The British Divers Marine Life Rescue on their RESCUE HOTLINE: 01825 765546 during office hours. 07787 433412 out of office hours. www.bdmlr.org.uk
-If you find ordnance (old shells or bullets) call the Coastguard. In the UK this is on 999.
-If you find what you suspect to be dangerous chemicals or substances, leave them alone and call the Coastguard.
-Dress properly for the weather and conditions.
If you want to join an organised beach clean, the Rangers from Northam Burrows hold regular ones. Find the next one here-
https://www.facebook.com/northamburrows
If you want to organize your own beach clean, please visit-
https://www.sas.org.uk/our-work/beach-cleans/organise-beach-clean/
There is local beach cleaning kit available for you and your group to borrow.
Please dispose of the litter you have collected responsibly. Small single bags can be placed in the public litter bins. Groups who collect larger amounts eg. black bin bags of litter, these can be left beside the refuse bins near the Slipway. Please then contact Torridge District Council on 01237 428700 (Option 3) so they can arrange collection of these for you.
Finally, stay safe and thank you for helping keep our Blue Flag beach beautiful!