Strandliners release October newsletter

‘Cleaner Rivers, Cleaner Seas’ is the motto of local volunteer-driven company Strandliners CIC who have issued their latest newsletter, detailing their recent efforts to keep our local beaches and rivers clean and highlighting some upcoming events. HOT’s Jordan Dixon provides a run-down of their recent activities.

While Strandliners was officially formed in 2018, its founder and executive director Andy Dinsdale has been doing his part to preserve the beauty of the natural environment since 2004, regularly conducting riverbank and beach cleans. But it is with the help of volunteers that Strandliners has been able to not just clean up, but to get to the heart of the issue by conducting surveys and identifying what specifically is washing up on our shores, how much and ultimately where it is all coming from.

This month’s newsletter opens with an appeal to any willing, able and prospective volunteers to not only look out for rubbish being washed ashore, but to notify Strandliners of anything out of the ordinary.

“With the autumn storms approaching we will find much plastic pollution washing up on our coasts, (aftermaths of Atlantic tropical storms Dorian and Lorenzo and more?), so now is the time to be aware of what to look out for,” Andy warns.

“If anything out of the ordinary is found, volunteers are suggested to take a photo and either send the image with details (where, date, time, etc) to StrandlinersCIC@gmail.com or post the image onto the Facebook group Rye Bay Beachcombing (it will be changing its name soon but will be the same group).

CAT training sessions 

Strandliners are proud to be part of a ground-breaking project, Community Action Team (CAT) training sessions. The initiative is being funded by Sea-Changers, who have partnered with the UNA (London and Southeast Regions), and is a means of engaging with any visitors to beaches and rivers and demonstrating how to identify and record discovered rubbish. By doing so it will begin the first steps to discovering the source of the pollution and stopping it.

“These training sessions are informal, enjoyable and FUN, yet full of information aiming to help everyone identify pollution events and hotspots,” Andy remarked.

“A great response so far, thank you to all who have attended. The more information and skills we gain the more chance we have to stop pollution on local, national or international levels”.

The CAT programme will continue with ‘open to all’ intro sessions in both Bexhill and Camber (full details at the end of this article) and Andy encourages anyone who wishes to do their part to attend or spread the word to anybody else who may be interested.

To view the full newsletter click here or subscribe at this link.

You can also forward the newsletter to a friend here.

And you can send Strandliners any questions, thoughts or images of discovered and unusual finds at StrandlinersCIC@gmail.com

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Future events;

River Rother plastic surveys and clean-ups (working with Surfers Against Sewage)

October – Wed 23rd – 2:30pm
October – Sun 27th – 2.30pm
November – Fri 1st – 10am
November – Sun 3rd – 10am

We expect to meet at Monk Bretton bridge, Rye, TN31 7LS (parking in Rye) and clean upstream and downstream in sections. Further downstream parking at the lay-by on Camber Rd may be more accessible. Please email for more information. Please be prepared, with sturdy footwear and appropriate clothing for the weather. Gloves, pickers and bags will be provided.

Community Action Team
Beach plastic rubbish identification & survey training
(if interested try out session 1, then sessions 2 and 3 will give further skills to enable participants to identify, record and disseminate data from beach and river pollution.)

Tuesday 22nd October – Camber – Part 2
Camber Memorial Hall 7:30 to 9:30pm
Open to previous part 1 participants. Book here.
– Recap, different surveys, analysis, survey protocol. “Homework” – identify a site.

Saturday 2nd November – Pett Level – Part 2
St Nicholas Church 2.30 to 5.00pm
Open to previous part 1 participants. Book here.
– Recap, different surveys, analysis, survey protocol. “Homework” – identify a site.

Wednesday 6th November – Bexhill – Part 1
Bexhill Friends Meeting House 7.30 to 9.30pm
– Intro to beach/marine pollution. What is it? Where does it come from? Why recording is the way to go. A MCSuk beachwatch survey.
Booking important as we will be a small group. Book here.

Wednesday November 27th – Bexhill – Part 2
Bexhill Friends Meeting House 7.30 to 9.30pm
Open to previous part 1 participants. Book here.
– Recap, different surveys, analysis, survey protocol. “Homework” – identify a site.

Wednesday December 4th – RSPCA Mallydams Wood – Part 3
Session 3 open to all who have completed sessions 1 + 2 + river practical (or have expertise, knowledge  to attend). RSPCA Mallydams Wood
– Recap. Feedback from what CAT has done for trainees so far. Feedback from identification of sites. Looking at river catchment areas upstream.

 

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