Evie’s Beach Clean
Every day Evie is on Fistral beach collecting rubbish left behind by adults.
Evie, age 8 has been beach cleaning in Newquay for nearly three years with her mum and friends. Over the years she has seen the dunes become more and more damaged and the level of litter increase every week. The average during the summer was 6 bin liners every day.
We hosted Evie and her family for a stay The Esplanade to say thank you to her for all her hard work in helping to keep our wonderfull beach clean. We cauught up with her aftwards to find out more about why she is so passionate.
What inspired you to start your beach cleans?
I love animals and it was dreadful to see all the rubbish on the beach that would kill the animals if it went in the sea. It also made me feel sad when hearing about all the number of animals in the ocean decreasing.
How old were you when you began to take an interest?
I was six years old when I started beach clean and now I am 8.
Have you seen support grow, with more people joining you for your beach cleans?
Sometimes friends join us for beach cleans or my cousins, but it’s mostly Mel, me and my mum.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever found?
Human poo under a flip flop, a mop, part of a TV remote and a gas stove.
What’s the most common thing you find on the beach?
Plastic toys, poo bags (full and empty - our record is 64 on one litter pick!), shoes, food packages, nails from fires and drinks cans and bottles.
What’s one simple thing visitors to the beach could be doing to help keep our beaches free of litter?
If you have a dog, please take a bag with you and pick up some rubbish on your dog walk, take your rubbish away with you if you can’t see a bin, if you drop rubbish think about the damage it may cause to our ocean and take refillable water bottles and reusable coffee cups.
What’s your favourite Newquay beach and why?
Fistral because I’ve lived near it my whole life and it’s the beach we go to most. It has one of the best sunsets and I love going in the sea and exploring the rock pools.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time when you’re not carrying our beach cleans?
Sewing, making things, gymnastics, surfing, ballet, swimming and playing with my dog, gerbils and fish.