Redd-Up at Scouriemore is a beach fest first
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Durness environmental group Plastic@Bay has teamed up with Scourie Community Council to organise a beach clean with a difference.
The clean-up of Cana Nam Buch, a cove at Scouriemore beach, will be part of a weekend festival including workshops, talks and social events.
Redd-Up is being held from Thursday to Sunday, May 7-10 and organisers are hoping to entice at least 100 volunteers along.
Plastic@Bay cleaned Scouriemore beach in July last year along with environmentalist Kiko Matthews, who at the time was undertaking a cycle ride of the UK coastline during which she carried out 70 beach cleans.
The group’s co-founder Dr Julien Moreau was staggered at the scale of rubbish found there.
He said: “We identified the beach as deeply polluted, removing a massive 112kg in just and hour and a half.
“We collected the usual ropes, fishing nets and fish farm pipes, the scourge of the north west coast.
“Kiko and her crew were shocked at the devastating state of Scouriemore.”
At Redd-Up, volunteers will work in the mornings using a combination of professional cleaning techniques and machinery.
Afternoons will be dedicated to workshops and talks as well as a yoga session. The evenings will be to relax and enjoy a barbecue and live music.
Organisers anticipate that the majority of volunteers will stay at a local campsite and a minibus shuttle will operate from there to the cleaning site. It is also hoped to organise a shuttle from Durness via Kinlochbervie.
A film is to be made of the event and sponsorship is sought to meet the costs of that and also of other expenditure such as fuel for machinery, bus transport and accommodation for the band and payment of professionals involved. Highland Council is providing skips and other equipment.
Dr Moreau said: “The movie will help raise local awareness and document a large community event but also show what the situation in the ocean is to people who are not exposed to it.”
Plastic@Bay is coordinating the clean-up and bookings - which are not yet open - as well as the talks and a recycling workshop.
Visit the group’s Facebook page for more information.
