A beach in North Devon
From the vast golden sands of Woolacombe to remote rocky beaches near Hartland, the National Trust looks after over 50 miles of coastline in beautiful North Devon.
For years the National Trust has employed seasonal beach rangers to help care for Woolacombe beach in the busy summer months. The beach rangers not only carry out essential maintenance work and daily beach cleans, but also engage visitors and the local community with the conservation work that goes into keeping a beach such as Woolacombe clean and healthy.
However the Woolacombe team are now keen to expand this initiative throughout the entire year. Surprisingly little waste actually comes from visitors to the beach – the majority of litter comes from the sea itself. Indeed, winter is often one of the worst times of year for beach litter as a lot of debris is washed up in winter storms.
Unsurprisingly, plastic is the most common material washed ashore – last year a staggering 90% of beach rubbish collected on Woolacombe was plastic or polystyrene, with the other 10% being made up of a mixture of materials including metal, glass, cardboard and ceramics.
Dave Jolley, a ranger at Woolacombe, is keen to raise the awareness of issues surrounding marine litter and hopes to engage locals and visitors all year round.
‘I am really lucky to look after some of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in the country, including Woolacombe, Croyde and Mortehoe’, say Dave. ‘However, I am always shocked by the amount on marine litter on our shores.’