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Eco-friendly parents stuck for things to do with their children and teachers looking for extra activities, will be pleased to hear that they can now help them learn about how they can protect our oceans, beaches and wildlife thanks to some new resources created by LOVEmyBEACH, the environmental campaigning project from the Turning Tides Partnership.

As part of the WOOP! (Wipe Out Ocean Plastic) campaign, LOVEmyBEACH has designed a FREE home schooling resource and teacher-led classroom or remote learning session for teenagers. Itshows them how single use plastic items such as wet wipes, period care products and PPE can impact on marine life and habitats.

Youngsters will get to meet LOVEmyBEACH Officers Emily and Anya, who talk them through the topic from the beach and guide them on how they can take action to prevent plastic entering our sewage system, causing blockages and ending up on our beaches, harming the environment and wildlife.

Emily, the Beach Care Officer for Fylde, says: “We had so much fun creating this resource for young people, teachers and parents who are concerned about the environment and who want to protect our beaches and wildlife from plastic pollution.

Even though we are all stuck at home and feel far away from the beach, there are still lots of positive actions people can take to protect it.”

The resources are  available now to download for free from the LOVEmyBEACH website and can be used to highlight the environmental impact of domestic single-use plastic, while also helping them with their school curriculum, as they are suitable for classes within Geography and PHSE curriculums.

Anya, Morecambe and Cumbria’s LOVEmyBEACH Officer, says: “Our brilliant new resource is packed full of information and it will help inspire and empower young people to take positive action on plastics.

“Home schooling can be tricky and dull. So we have created something fun and engaging, which compliments the work done in their curriculum while also giving them the tools to help prevent plastic pollution along the coast, so it’s a win-win!”

For more information and to download the resource, please visit: www.lovemybeach.org/resources

There are many sources of coastal pollution, which can harm our beaches, seas and wildlife. Thankfully our North West beaches and seas are the cleanest and safest they have ever been, and we want them to stay that way. We need your help to identify and report signs of coastal pollution in order to prevent further incidents!

Pollution can impact bathing water quality and the safety and reputation of beaches, whilst being unpleasant to look at and potentially dangerous for beach visitors. We are asking you to See It – Report It – Prevent It. 

As regular beach users, you are likely to notice changes to the environment or worrying signs of pollution before others do. You might notice sewage pollution, grey water, leaking outfall pipes, oil, large concentrations of a particular type of litter or safety hazards. We are asking you to report any such signs to the relevant organisation in order for them to take swift action and hopefully prevent long term impacts.

To help you know what signs of pollution to look out for we have put together a handy guide with information, images and descriptions. It also includes details on how and where to report it to.

Please take a look at our Resources page and download a copy of the Coastal Pollution leaflet.

Why not print out a copy to keep in your pocket when visiting the beach?

Or pass it on to friends who regularly visit the beach to?

We have also recorded a 15 minute presentation, which offers more detail on pollution and bathing waters, specific types of pollution, local case studies and reporting. You can view this on Youtube by clicking here. 

Together we can keep our seas and beaches clean and free of pollution!

If your organisation would like some printed copies of the leaflet, please contact enquiries@lovemybeach.org

Unfortunately Fylde Coast beaches and marine life have faced a tough week, as a deluge of microplastics have washed in on recent tides. Numerous beaches between Fleetwood, Blackpool and Lytham have been affected by significant amounts of multi-coloured plastic fragments arriving with incoming tides.

Microplastics are small pieces of plastic, measuring less than 5mm. Unfortunately, we do witness microplastics frequently on beaches and within strandlines. However, the scale seen this week indicates there has been a particular incident, possibly originating at sea or on land. Unfortunately due to their size, it is extremely difficult to effectively remove these either by hand or using any mechanical equipment. As a result many wash back out on the next tide, so we anticipate witnessing the effects of this incident for some time to come.

However, the overwhelming positive in this situation has been the response of local people. LOVEmyBEACH requested reports of locations and dates, alongside photographs to be submitted to us on social media. We now have a very strong evidence base, detailing where and when the incident occurred alongside over 30 high quality evidence photos. This information will be invaluable in taking action once the source has been identified.

Numerous organisations have come together to collect and analyse samples, investigate possible sources and ensure such an incident does not happen again. These include Wyre Council, Wyre Rivers Trust, the Environment Agency, Marine Management Organisation, Lancaster University and United Utilities.

Once the investigations have progressed, we will share more information.

If you do spot any significant levels of microplastics please email photographs detailing the location and date taken to emily.parr@keepbritaintidy.org

Thank you to everyone who has shared reports so far.