Year of Our Island continues its celebration of our seas and shores with ’The Big Beach Clean’ on Sunday, June 17.

The Cabinet Office initiative has partnered with Bill Dale and Beach Buddies to host a day of volunteering at 10 beaches around the Isle of Man.

Beach Buddies was founded in 2007 and over the last 11 years has seen more than 8,000 volunteers take part in beach cleaning events and has helped to remove over 200 tonnes of rubbish per year from the island’s beaches.

In 2016 the group was recognised by the UNESCO Biosphere for their contribution to tackling the problem of marine litter.

This year its founder, Bill Dale will receive the Tynwald Honour to recognise his outstanding contribution to Manx life.

Year of Our Island project lead Jennie Wheeler said: ’Year of Our Island encourages us all to do more and working with Bill and his team during our seas and shores month is a wonderful opportunity to invite people to do more for our environment and our community.

’Beach Buddies sets an outstanding example for our island, so even if you can’t make the Beach Clean perhaps you can make your own pledge to pick up three pieces of litter each time you visit a beach.’

As a legacy to organising the beach clean, the Year of Our Island project team will be providing Beach Cleaning toolkits, which will help people to hold future events.

It’s hoped they will encourage people from across the island to get involved.

Bill Dale of FIM Beach Buddies said: ’It is ordinary people of all ages who have dramatically changed the Isle of Man, and this can easily happen anywhere else in the world.

’All it takes is a few people to get together, take on a challenge close to home and show others what can be achieved.’

â?¢ If you would like to take part in the Big Beach Clean or would like to find out more about the other 2018 Year of Our Island events taking place in June follow @OurIsland2018 on social media, look at our website www.ourisland.im, or call 687007.

by the Year of Our Island project team

www.ourisland.im