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A few weeks ago, we saw the UKBT Grand Slam Finals taking place amongst a packed out beach around Bournemouth Pier. The late September heat wave brought with it a number of visitors and beach goers all looking to catch some sunshine and enjoy the brilliant weather.
Unfortunately, the state of the beach was anything but beautiful when the UKBT team arrived on Sunday morning to prepare for the knock outs rounds; the team found mountains of rubbish along the shore that had been left behind from local visitors the previous day.
Thankfully a plan had already been set in motion leading up to the event in Bournemouth; alongside commercial partner Prevented Ocean Plastic, the UKBT athlete and event team completed a community beach clean following on from the medal ceremony. Members of the the UKBT and POP spread out across the beach armed with buckets and bin bags, ready to leave the beaches cleaner than when they arrived.
Empty drinks containers, pizza boxes and plastic containers were just some of the items disposed of during the efforts; the gold medalists from the tournament (Javier Bello and Joaquin Bello & Jessica Grimson and Maria Sviridova) stayed around to help contribute and aid in the clean up efforts alongisde the UKBT team.
It was staggering to see how much rubbish was collected in such a short space of time; as the team spread out, the local community began to follow suit, helping to recover the abandoned trash. It was fantastic to see how an effort inspired by the tournament was able to directly impact the behaviour of the local community.
Event like our beach clean is just one example of how our partnership with Prevented Ocean Plastic is helping to make a difference on our glorious beaches. Before the event in Bournemouth, CEO of Prevented Ocean Plastic Raffi Shieir shared his thoughts with us about our partnership:
"At Prevented Ocean Plastic, we genuinely care for our beaches and waterways. We work directly with people in coastal communities, who are at-risk of ocean plastic pollution and lacking in formal waste management, to build infrastructure so we can create a more sustainable and cleaner future.
As a result of our connection to the ocean and beaches, our partnership with UK Beach Tour was a very logical and welcome step. They, and their athletes, see many beaches around the world, and truly understand the importance of keeping our beaches clean. No one wants to see the environment covered in plastic, but their understanding stems from having seen its effects first- hand.
Since the start of our partnership in 2022, Prevented Ocean Plastic has sponsored the UK Beach Tour events, and for the 40 th anniversary of the UK’s biggest beach volleyball tournament in Weymouth we offered reusable water bottles made from our material for all the players as well as their water stations. The organisation and its members have been wonderful supporters of our efforts across the globe as well.
One of the UK Beach Tour’s finest players, Issa Batrane, is a long-term official Prevented Ocean Plastic Ambassador, and has been spreading the word on how small changes in the way you shop can have a massive impact on the environment. He even visited our Bali Collection Centre last year to see where it all happens.
This week, members of the Prevented Ocean Plastic team will join UK Beach Tour for their final event of the season at Bournemouth Grand Slam Finals. The best teams in the UK will battle it out on the pier for the title. We will be supporting our partner in their event, and after the medal ceremony on Sunday 10 September, we will be hosting a beach clean around Bournemouth Pier, so we can leave the area cleaner than we found it.
Come and join us in our efforts to keep the circular economy going and create a cleaner tomorrow."
The Great British Beach Clean week is now officially underway, and we were so happy we could do our part to contribute to the efforts.