Twenty children from Lee on the Solent Junior School, Gosport, will be taking part in the last of this year’s Beach Buddies Beach Clean events being held on Tuesday 25 September at Lee on the Solent.
The youngsters have already attended a workshop organised by Gosport Borough Council’s Environmental Health Section, Gosport & Fareham Inshore Rescue Society and Hampshire Wildlife Trust. It was at these workshops that the children learnt important things about the local marine wildlife, Sea Safety and the dangers to wildlife and the marine environment caused by discarded rubbish and beach litter.
“The children are really interested when it comes to wildlife and the importance of doing things to save the environment, they are real ambassadors for the cause,” said Claire Terry, Technical Officer with the Pollution Team at Gosport Borough Council. “You only have to explain things to them once and they quickly relate the message to both family and friends.”
“We show them the sort of things that can occur by someone simply leaving litter on the beach after a day out. For example a carrier bag, plastic rings from a 4 pack of cans, or lead weights or fishing hooks and line can have serious repercussions to a seagull or dolphin, perhaps even resulting in its death if ingested or caught around its nose or neck. But it doesn’t end there because there is also the possibility of a child, adult or even a dog receiving a painful injury from a fishing hook or broken glass if it’s left lying around, which is why we point out the importance of taking your rubbish home or at least putting it in a bin.”
The Beach Clean event will meet at Beach Road Car Park at Lee on the Solent at approximately 9.45am. This will be followed at around 11am by the presentation of Medals and Certificates to all the children for their help in keeping Gosport’s Beaches Clean. The presentations will be made by the Mayor of Gosport, Councillor Keith Gill, and a representative of Southern Water, sponsors of the event.
