A Windy Day and The School of Fish

I have to start this post by apologising for my tardy blogging following the West Kirby Beach Clean in May.  My previous post on the Big Beach Clean Up was quite detailed and I think this time, I’ll keep it short and sweet.

Amazingly, we made it to the beach on time, and were initially enthusiastic thanks to the beautiful blue skies.  What we didn’t bank on was the absolutely horrendous wind!

You can’t really tell just how cold and windy it was looking at this photo but let me tell you, I have never experienced wind like it!

Spud was impatient to get on to the beach and do a bit of digging despite the gale force winds.

When we had our briefing and collected our beach cleaning equipment, we were let loose on to the beach and by this time, Pooh Bear had decided the best thing he could do was to sleep.  Spud was doing really well but despite wearing five layers of clothing, the wind finally got to him and just after I took this photo, he burst in to tears.

We found a fork Mummy!

Scatty Dad was more than a little pleased when I sent them all off to the nearest cafe to warm up and have some food so off they went leaving me to clean up.  I actually had a nice time without them.  Nice to have a walk on the sand without having to think about their well-being for a change.

Some of the rubbish I collected. So much brightly coloured rubber and lots of plastic.

After an hour or so, I decided I too had had enough of the cold and wind and headed back to the car park with my bag of rubbish.  The boys were having a whale of a time and Spud’s face was covered in green icing from a froggy cupcake he was scoffing.  Unfortunately, he wouldn’t let me take a photo.

If you fancy battling with the wind at your local beach, the Marine Conservation Society arranges and supports events throughout the country.  If you would prefer to help out from the comfort of your warm, cosy living room, you might like to make a Donation here. Please also visit the Forever Fish site to see how you can help in conjunction with Marks & Spencer and why not have a go at the Fishy Fact Quiz.

Now, I mentioned The School of Fish in my previous post.  The team from School of Fish were at the Beach Clean to keep the children entertained and there is also a website…

Related articles

• The Marine Conservation Society (lifeloveandlivingwithboys.wordpress.com)
• Marks and Spencers and the big beach clean up (ghostwritermummy.co.uk)

Disclosure: We received M&S vouchers for attending the Beach Clean. I would have attended regardless since the cause is an important one and something I want the boys to be aware of as they grow up.

The Marine Conservation Society

Since I started this blog, we have benefitted from some lovely perks and this week we have been invited to, and are ambassadors for, The Marine Conservation Society’s  (MCS) Beach Clean at West Kirby which is being supported by Marks & Spencer and the Forever Fish Campaign.

Always up for trying new things, we have never been to a beach clean and being lucky to live a stone’s throw away from the coast in a few directions, are regular visitors to West Kirby.  I have great memories as a child of walking across the sands to Hilbre Island and having a lovely time seal and bird spotting.  The West Kirby Marine Lake which is always popular with windsurfers and Spud loves getting his toes wet when we walk around the edge. 

With the rise in popularity of foreign beach holidays, the UK shoreline has been overlooked by families in the past but with the recent recession, the UK beach resorts have become more popular for days out and holidays.  There is an abundance of marine wildlife living on the shores of the UK and we have a duty to protect them from the effects of modern life, namely litter.

I admit I had never heard of the MCS until I received an email regarding the Beach Clean this Friday (11th May 2012) so would urge you to have a look at their website.  There is an absolute wealth of information on the site and I have included less than half of the initiatives, campaigns and information points featured.  You could sign up for their regular Newsletter and keep up-to-date on any developments and events like Beachwatch.

Beachwatch is a really important initiative run by the MCS which supports local groups, individuals and communities in caring for their local shoreline.  Ever wonder where the money M&S charges for carrier bags goes to???  Currently, with the help of MCS, towards helping to preserve UK fish stocks and clean up our seas and beaches.

Shoreline litter can prove fatal for our marine wildlife, is hazardous to us humans and costs millions to clean up every year.  Every little helps when it comes to doing your bit and you can find out about local events or how to volunteer with The MCS on their really informative website.

You can help out every time you visit the seaside by respecting all of the following MCS litter campaign initiatives…

MCS litter campaigns

Go Plastic Bag Free – Join the campaign to reduce plastic packaging

No Butts on the Beach – Help stop millions of cigarette butts littering our seas and shores

Bag it, Bin it , Never Flush – Items flushed down your toilet end up on beaches, don’t flush it, Bag it and Bin it! 

(For a while,I have been contemplating using a Mooncup instead of disposable sanitary protection and this campaign has made my mind)

Don’t Let Go – Help us stop balloons killing wildlife

Plastic – Help us turn the tide on increasing levels of plastic litter

If you can’t physically help with the many events held each year, you can always help out from the comfort of your sofa…

Become a Member

Make a Donation

Adopt a Turtle

Follow on Twitter and Like on Facebook.

We can’t wait to take part in the Beach Clean and are excited to see what The School of Fish have in store in the way of games for the little ones.  Fingers crossed it doesn’t rain buckets and I’m looking forward to sharing some pics of the boys having fun and learning to respect the environment.