Looking Back and Moving Forward with Scottish Coastal Clean-Up
As we near the end of a busy year, we want to take a moment to reflect on our achievements and share our exciting plans for the year ahead.
December Highlights
December has been a busy and fulfilling month for our team as we partnered with the Scottish Seabird Centre for the Advent Litter Picking Challenge. This initiative has been a fantastic way to ensure we’re spending time outdoors, even with the shorter daylight hours and unpredictable weather. We’ve taken part in litter picking across a range of locations, working alongside different groups of people, which added a wonderful social element to the experience. It’s been a rewarding way to contribute to our environment while enjoying the outdoors together during the festive season.
You can learn more about the challenge by visiting the Scottish Seabird Centre’s website.
Collaborating for Change: The Upstream Battle Campaign
We also recently collaborated with Keep Scotland Beautiful to host an event for their Upstream Battle Campaign. This important initiative raises awareness about the journey of rubbish from waterways into the ocean, focusing on waste traveling through rivers and streams. The campaign involves collecting data through surveys along rivers to track litter sources and types that eventually reach the ocean.
During the event, it was fascinating to compare the items found upstream with those collected on beaches, highlighting the direct connection between inland waste and ocean pollution. Learn more about the campaign here.
Protecting Wildlife: Fidra Island Creel Removal
In collaboration with RSPB Scotland and the Scottish Seabird Centre, we successfully removed nearly 3 tonnes of creels from Fidra Island, a vital breeding site for seabirds like puffins, guillemots, and kittiwakes. These creels posed a significant risk to wildlife, obstructing habitats or entangling birds. Removing them helped preserve the island’s pristine condition and supported its status as a protected area under RSPB Scotland’s care. This operation, aided by our boat Curlew and dedicated volunteers, also tackled debris left by Storm Babet, marking a key achievement for the year.
Additional Creel Removal with Muirfield Golf Course
This year, we worked closely with Muirfield Golf Course and its members to remove a large number of creels and ropes buried in sand. This task required specialized machinery and access through the golf course, making it a challenging yet rewarding operation.
Expanding Our Reach
Our team also returned to Skye and Ulva for larger weekend beach clean-ups while exploring new areas like the Isle of Lewis and Coigach. These efforts were made possible thanks to the incredible support from organisations, communities, funders, and our dedicated volunteers.
Looking Ahead to 2025
We’re excited to announce plans to expand our volunteer program in 2025. Our goals include providing timely updates on beach cleaning and other volunteering opportunities and developing activities that are more inclusive and accessible. This will ensure that everyone who wants to contribute can find a role that suits them.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on how we can make volunteering even more welcoming. Please share your ideas with us at kerriesccu@balancedhorizon.org
Join Us for Our First Event of 2025!
Our first event of the year will be held on January 25th and is a collaborative effort with Keep Scotland Beautiful, The Scottish Seabird Centre, and Forth Rivers Trust. This event offers opportunities to litter pick along the River Esk and participate in a beach clean at Fisherrow in Musselburgh.
For more details and to register, please check out the Eventbrite links below:
Holiday Wishes
As we approach the holiday season, we want to thank you for being part of our journey. Your support makes a significant impact, and we look forward to achieving even more together in 2025. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year!
Stay connected with us on social media:
- Instagram: @scottishcoastalcleanup
- X (Twitter): @ScotCoastClean
- Facebook: Scottish Coastal Cleanup