URGENT INFORMATION WITHIN FOR COUNCILLORS & OFFICERS

1st June

Dear Friends,

Yesterday was sunny and a bit breezy, and it was very good to have 30 volunteers come out for this long-standing community initiative, dating back now over 9 years . . . how time flies when you’re having fun and doing valuable work for The Bay!  Volunteers this time included just two children, but also two new members from the west side of town, as well as the regular presence of James Flanagan – local Councillor for Chestfield and a resident of Tankerton.

The Beach – the usual things, such as cans, bottles (although fortunately not much broken glass), paper serviettes, take-away drinks cups and food packaging including one very large Dominoes pizza box.  Lots of small bits of polystyrene foam and plastics, fishing lines, and a large paintbrush entwined in seaweed, and an intact glass – one child’s croc shoe, a toy car and an adult’s neoprene glove.  

The Slopes – this area continues to be much more of a concern than the beach.  Mostly this relates to the hollows in the bushes from around the Graystone Road shelter, to the many bushes also behind the western end of the beach huts underneath the flagpole – not just the huge amounts of alcohol drinks bottles / cans, food packaging and remnants and signs of non-injecting drug taking, but in at least two of these hollows there was clear evidence that they were being extensively used as ‘human toilets’.  A couple of soiled and seemingly discarded sleeping bags were also carefully bagged and removed.  This is very worrying in several respects – this poses significant health and safety risks especially since these hollows are the kind traditionally to have been explored by children. This really is a matter for some serious investigation and direct action by the Council and is hereby being reported to them – with Councillors and Officers receiving copies of this letter.

There were fewer signs of cuttlefish skeletons on the beach this time, but one dead seagull was seen – left in situ, but anyway reported on gov.uk just in case it might be part of any bigger picture of bird sicknesses.  Most unusual find of the day – an old, broken, flat screen TV from the Slopes, complete with its plug and stand.

Given that the Summer Dogs’ Orders are now in place for much of The Bay, we did speak with a few seemingly unaware owners both on the beach and the Promenade, and we gave advice / Council leaflets.  To be fair the signage is still unrenewed, and is very inadequate. In all but one case, this advice was welcomed – the exception being a local owner, who could see no reason why the orders should be in force, and would not put their dog on a lead on the Promenade.  Sadly it’s doubtful that they will have met an Enforcement Officer on the rest of their journey.  

Totals:                       Last time:

Beach      19 kgs         (21 kgs)

Slopes     27 kgs         (10 kgs)

Total:       46 kgs        (31 kgs)

Total to date since our first Beach Clean in April 2016: 4,349 kgs

So, many thanks to everyone who came down yesterday to rid the beach and Slopes of environmentally ugly, damaging and sometimes dangerous rubbish, to the core organisers of the FOTB Team and also to Iona, the Canenco operative, who picked up most of our haul, before coming back for the rest later (twice!)

Our next Beach Clean is due to be on Sunday 6th July, starting as usual at 9.15am.  However, three of our core organisers are not able to be present, so we are hoping to get enough cover for this next clear to go ahead – not just various tasks during the event but also taking the equipment down from the tennis court store to the Lifeguard Hut at about 08.45, and then even more particularly, helping to return it afterwards up the Slopes on what seems to some of us to be an ever-increasingly steep hill! Getting old? Never!

Therefore, we will need some early promises of extra assistance please, otherwise we will reluctantly and very unusually have to invoke a non-weather cancellation.  In any event there will be a general email around in the week before that Sunday, confirming that, hopefully, this next clear can still go ahead.  If anyone is interested in being a bit more ‘centrally involved’ with FOTB anyway, then that would be great – please do let us know.

One last note – it was very heart-warming to see that, alongside the long pathway down to the Promenade, a few lilac coloured poppies were just out in bloom.  What a sight!  Possibly by chance, or possibly by the Council, as the poppies were in a section that had recently been re-earthed to stabilise the pathway.  Either way, gorgeous!

Best wishes,

David, Marilyn, & Viv

for The Friends of Tankerton Bay

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Dear Friends,

Well, it was certainly a blustery morning; an icy north/easterly swirled around the Lifeguard Hut today, under a blue but increasingly darkening sky.  We had most of our usual stalwart helpers join us today, with 24 adults, including a new recruit, and her small daughter, who stayed for the entire session, bless her, in her gigantic (child’s) yellow vest.

We picked up the usual things, such as cans and bottles (yet more gin bottles, this time at the skateboard end, some with gin (hopefully) still in them), but also bits of polystyrene foam, an intact glass, two spent shotgun cartridges (each from different places), a builder’s hard hat, vapes, lighters, a crab line, a soft tennis racquet, clothing and socks, a sheet of Perspex, plastic plates, ice cream wrappers, cling film, cigarette butts (which had been disappearing over the last few months), and two dead fish (given a watery burial back at sea).  Almost all our finds today were either tiny or light, as evidenced from our smaller haul compared to last month’s.

It was also remarked how many cuttlefish skeletons there were on the beach, as well as many caterpillars (furry, with red spots, and white faces) but of course these were all left alone.  There was also a beautiful patch of (probably bluebells) growing on the lower Slopes; possibly Spanish bluebells, we were told).

It was also reported that a rather belligerent woman was found camping near the thatched tea hut in the Tea Gardens; one for the Council to look at here.

Totals:                         Last time:

Beach      21 kgs         (29 kgs)

Slopes     10 kgs         (25 kgs)

Total:       31 kgs        (54 kgs)

Total to date since our first Beach Clean in April 2016; 4,313 kgs

So thanks to everyone who came down today, in not-so-perfect Bank Holiday weather (same as it ever was) to rid the beach and Slopes of ugly rubbish, and also to Iona, the Canenco operative who picked up half of our haul, before coming back for the rest later.  Also thanks to our hard-working ex-KCC Councillor Neil Baker, who still came to support us.  He will be much missed.

Our next Beach Clean will be on Sunday, 1st June, starting as usual at 9.15am.  As always, you’ll receive your reminder a couple of days beforehand.

Lastly, two of our volunteers mentioned that today is Star Wars Day, so I must say, May The Forth Be With You! 

See you on the beach in June.

Best wishes,

Marilyn, David, & Viv

for The Friends of Tankerton Bay