It began with just two adults, five dogs and a badly polluted stretch of sand at Ballaugh.

Twenty years later, that modest act has grown into one of the Isle of Man’s most recognisable and enduring community movements.

Beach Buddies is marking the 20th anniversary of its first clean-up, an event that sparked two decades of volunteer-led work that has transformed not only the island’s coastline, but the public’s attitudes towards litter and environmental responsibility.

The organisation was founded on January 6, 2006, when a small group of volunteers set out to clear rubbish from Ballaugh beach. The coastline was heavily polluted, with some waste dating back to the 1970s, and it took six Sunday visits to restore the area.

Little did founder Bill Dale know at the time that the small event would turn into one of the island’s best-known community initiatives.

‘Here we are 20 years down the line, where we’ve achieved something as a community,’ he said. ‘The people of the Isle of Man have done something very special.

‘I think we take it a bit for granted at times - there are children under the age of 25 who have never known anything other than an island of clean beaches. And it’s not just beaches now, because it’s spread everywhere.’

Over the past two decades, Beach Buddies has expanded its work beyond the coastline to include parks, glens, footpaths, plantations, mountains and urban areas.

The group estimates around 2,000 tonnes of litter have been collected, with volunteers contributing hundreds of thousands of hours. More than 21,000 different volunteers have taken part in clean-up activities since the charity was formed.

‘Participation is encouraged by keeping it simple,’ Bill added. ‘People can just pick up one of our litter pickers, a pair of gloves and a bag - that’s all that’s needed.

‘The response was way beyond anything I expected. We now go to all the schools every year, and each event creates a new group of volunteers who also take the message home to their parents.’

Beach Buddies’ work has received local, national and international recognition, including the Energy Globe World Award in Norway for its education programme, and coverage by BBC World News, ITV and Sky News.

Support has also come from businesses, community groups and social organisations, with corporate clean-ups held regularly and cruise ship passengers encouraged to take part during visits to the island.

The charity has installed 54 Beach Buddies bins around the Manx coastline through sponsorship and has recently launched a campaign to provide bins at every school.

Looking ahead, Bill said the focus would remain on keeping the model simple.

‘We’ve found a very workable, low-cost way for the community to do something special,’ he said. ‘There’s no need to reinvent the wheel - we just want to keep it simple and affordable.’