Beach Buddies is giving a helping hand to this year’s Harbour2Harbour Walk, on May 21, and will be giving support to the event over the weekend, instead of the normal beach cleaning.

However, it doesn’t mean the beach cleaners won’t be tackling rubbish on beaches over that weekend, as organisers are hoping volunteers will go along and help with the event itself.

Beach Buddies is one of the charities which will benefit from the proceeds of the walk, now in its fourth year.

Beach Buddies founder Bill Dale said: ’We have offered to provide some volunteers at the second start-point in Port St Mary harbour, and then to "sweep up" along the route afterwards, in case any rubbish is accidentally dropped by the walkers!

’Of course, there’s no reason why any of our supporters couldn’t take part in the walk itself, as it’s an easy route along a lovely stretch of coastline, and all the proceeds are going to charity.’

The plan is for all Beach Buddies’ volunteers on the day to get together afterwards for a barbecue and refreshments in Castletown.

Last year 319 walkers took part in the Harbour2Harbour and almost £4,000 raised for charity.

The walk begins on Port Erin beach and follows a nine-mile coastal route to Castletown.

To encourage more people to take part this year a shorter second route has been introduced, starting next to the RNLI station in Port St Mary and covering around five-and-a-half miles