Students from Uffculme School have been busy tackling the problem of marine litter by taking part in a Beach Clean event at Dawlish Warren, organised by STC Expeditions – an ethical school expedition company based in Exeter.
The Beach Clean took place on Saturday 14th March 2020 and was organised as part of the Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS) national Beachwatch project.
The group of students from Uffculme School collected a total of eight bin bags, with the top items found on the day identified as fishing nets, pieces of microplastics and polystyrene. Other items of note included a shilling from 1952, as well as a collection of large metal pipes.
The Beach Clean went ahead two days before the Martine Conservation Society cancelled all beach cleans until further notice due to the Coronavirus.
Adrian Ferraro from STC Expeditions says: “This is the second beach clean we have run at Dawlish Warren and it was fantastic to see so many students turn up to join us. It was great to get out in the fresh air and do something positive amidst the daily dose of depressing headlines. The students at Uffculme were amazing and really got stuck into the job – dedicated to clear as much litter as was possible. The data that was collected on the day will help the MCS identify the main sources of litter at Dawlish Warren and keep the issue of the dangers of marine litter high on the local agenda – so this is a really worthwhile project.”
Dave Harbour, Head of Geography at Uffculme School adds: “As always our students love to get involved in opportunities that they are offered and this beach clean was no exception. I’m not sure the reality of their India expedition has sunk in yet as we are not heading off until next summer. However, getting together in this way is a great opportunity for those taking part to get to know each other, especially as they are from different year groups.”
For more information on the MCS Beach Survey, please visit www.mcsuk.org/beachwatch
