Last week the Vocational Development Programme teamed up with the Beach Guardians at Padstow. Residents from across our houses were invited for a two-day event learning all about plastic pollution and the impact it is having on our environment. 

Day 1 took place at Beach Guardian HQ.  Clients were able to explore the lab and see a vast range of plastic waste recovered from our beaches.  Following this everyone got stuck in and clients took part in the essential maintenance of beach clean signage and equipment, including spending an afternoon sewing new beach clean bags recycled from old tent materials. 

A big thank you to Andrew from Beach guardians for sharing his knowledge and feeding everyone with the most delicious curry.

Day 2 involved visiting 3 bays around Padstow, positioning the newly painted and refilled beach clean signs, and taking part in a beach clean at each location.  Andrew once again led and showed the group where to expect different types of plastic and taught everyone about microplastics and the damage they do to our oceans.  All participants were treated to a winter beach BBQ in the sun at the end of the day. The St Petrocs clients cleared a huge amount of waste, and all felt the positive benefits of helping out.

We look forward to working with the Beach Guardians again soon.