Volunteers take part in 30th annual Great British Beach Clean

37 generous volunteers across North Devon recently joined team members at Bideford Bay and Ruda Holiday Parks to take part in the Marine Conservation Society’s annual Great British Beach Clean.

Held between September, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Great British Beach Clean and saw a record number of Parkdean Resorts volunteers coming together to collect a record weight of litter.

Across North Devon 14 bags of litter were collected, weighing in at a total of 26.5kg, or more than 58lbs. This data will help further the Marine Conservation Society’s conservation work, and will also be included in the International Coastal Clean-up.

Owned by Parkdean Resorts, the UK’s leading holiday park operator, Bideford Bay and Ruda Holiday Parks were two of 59 Parkdean parks across England, Scotland and Wales to take part in beach clean events, where volunteers came together to pick up litter found along the coast. A total of 620kg of litter was collected by 392 volunteers during the 59 collections, beating last year’s record of 422kg of litter collected by 265 volunteers from 36 parks.

Jane Bates, Head of Sustainability and Procurement, Parkdean Resorts, said: “Creating safe spaces for nature and having a lasting, positive impact on the communities we serve are both fundamental to our business, so we’re proud to participate in the Great British Beach Clean every year. With a record number of parks and volunteers involved, this is something that really matters to our teams, and we’re delighted to have had such an amazing turnout from dedicated volunteers, and to be able to contribute to the Marine Conservation Society’s valuable work.”

Clare Trotman, Beachwatch Officer at the Marine Conservation Society, said: “We are so grateful for Parkdean Resorts’ support in organising so many events as part of this year’s Great British Beach Clean. By holding dozens of beach cleans around the UK, they have helped to make this year’s event even more successful. Without our volunteers heading down to the beach to collect and record litter, we wouldn’t be able to do the work we do. Their hard work allows us to campaign for a healthier, better protected ocean.”