Pictures: Hundreds turn out for big Cleanse and Clean

Hundreds of people turned out to help brighten up the region for the annual Cleanse and Clean Day of Action organised by Plastic Free North Devon.

From the Tarka Trail to sand dunes and town centre streets to parks, individuals, groups, local schools, businesses and many more donned high viz, grabbed their litter pickers and set to work across 30 different locations in North Devon and Torridge.

A total of 1,423.2 kilos of waste was collected, with seven schools, 10 organisations, six businesses and 780 people taking part.     

Beaford Arts cleaning up at Barnstaple Bridge

The official Day of Action was on Saturday, January 27, but the charity invited schools or organisations to also take part in the days running up to the weekend, whatever suited them.

Buoyed by the success, the date has already been set for next year – it will take place on Saturday, January 25, 2025.

Anne-Marie Eveleigh, PFND operations manager, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have made the Cleanse and Clean Day of Action bigger and more impactful than before.

“It shows the power that individual action can have, and the reward for people and planet when bringing together a community. We want to say a massive thank you to everyone who took part and save the date for 2025!”

Anyone who wishes to support the work of Plastic Free North Devon can double their donation through the Ocean Explorer AVIVA fund appeal at www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/p/ocean-explorer-academy