Our sister company SHORE The Scottish Seaweed Company is very much concerned about the protection of our local shores. They reached out to Tom Rawson, from GreenTweed Eco - which began in 2018 to bring communities, and young people in particular, together with the wild spaces around them. By organising and executing regional-scale events, GreenTweed Eco aims to engage a whole generation of schoolchildren to be the future guardians of our natural environment.

Our newly formed Charity Group jumped at the opportunity of piggy-backing this great event. Over 20 Aquascot partners, enthusiastically joined by their hubbies and kids, were happy to give a couple hours of their personal time at the weekend. Armed with gloves, bin bags and rubbish-pickers, the happy gang successfully cleared over 300kg of rubbish from the Cromarty Firth shore - including shipping ropes, fishing buoys, a bicycle, a bubble car, a tent and the usual bottles, cans, wet wipes and packaging.

We made the most of the day by then gathering for a well-deserved outdoor lunch at The Station in Alness, before going our separate ways. All agreed it was a win-win, as a great way to bond with work colleagues while doing your bit for the local community - and our only hope is that it is the first of many similar events!

Tom Rawson, GreedTweed Eco: "I was delighted both by the number of volunteers and by their determination to leave the area around Alness Point in a better condition than they found it. This beach clean showed exactly what a community can do when it pulls together but also how much work there has to be done to maintain the marine environment that we all enjoy. I hope that this beach clean will be the nucleus of a series around Scotland's East Coast that will help to reverse the insidious problem of plastic pollution on our shores."

Joanne Brogan, Charity Group Lead: "I was delighted with the turn out on Saturday and proud at the volume of litter we collected as a team. I never thought litter picking could be so much fun."

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