Marks & Spencer (M&S) is urging the Edinburgh community to descend on Fisherrow Sands, Hopetoun House and Cramond beaches to free them from litter as part of this year’s Big Beach Clean-up.
Taking place across Edinburgh between 26th-30th April, the Big Beach Clean-up is hosted in partnership with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and invites local residents, businesses, universities and societies to join employees from M&S to scoop up unwanted rubbish. The events will take place at:
· Hopetoun House – Saturday 26th April at 10am
· Cramond – Sunday 27th April at 10am
· Fisherrow Sands, Musselburgh – Wednesday 30th April at 10am
Customers that register for the event in advance at www.mcsuk.org/foreverfish will also receive a money-off M&S voucher on the day of their beach clean.
Volunteers taking part in the beach clean at Fisherrow Sands in Musselbrugh on Wednesday 30th April will also be treated to a beach-side BBQ and live entertainment. Elaine Anderson, Store Manager at M&S Kinnaird, said: “We’re calling upon as many local people as possible to help us rid Fisherrow Sands of litter. This is a fun initiative that will bring the Edinburgh community together to help our local environment and protect our precious marine life. Plus, after all the hard work is done everyone will be rewarded with a delicious BBQ and live music”
Volunteers across 95 beaches and 45 canals in the UK will this year join forces with the aim of clearing more than last year’s massive haul of 30 tonnes of litter – the equivalent weight of two double decker buses. Most of the litter collected will be common waste items such as fishing nets, ropes and bottles tops. However last year M&S beach and canal cleaners found an array of unusual items including a bath, coffee maker, HM Prison Service toothbrush and a Freeview box.
Additionally, MCS will take the opportunity to assess the impact this year’s storms have had on beach litter and debris at locations across the country.
Last year over 9,000 people (4,000 M&S employees and 5,000 M&S customers) volunteered and collected 4,000 bin bags full of litter after cleaning over 300km of beaches and canals.
Samantha Fanshawe, MCS Chief Executive, said: “This week of action is a great opportunity to clean up some of our best loved beaches and remove litter that has built up following recent storms. Rubbish washed up or left on beaches not only harms wildlife but spoils our enjoyment of the coast too, so the more people that take part the more litter we can remove from harm’s way. Throughout the year, there will be activities and resources for schoolchildren to learn more about our seas and the fascinating marine life they support.”
The M&S Big Beach Clean-up is part of M&S’ Forever Fish campaign which is funded by the profits from the 5p carrier bag charge in M&S foodhalls. Since its introduction in 2008, the charge has reduced carrier bag use by 75 per cent and raised over £6 million for good causes.
Customers can find out more www.marksandspencer.com/plana and follow the event on twitter (@marksandspencer or search #beachclean) and
facebook (www.facebook.com/marksandspencer).
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
