Kellas Midstream Volunteers Help Keep Balmedie Beach Beautiful
On Friday 13th September 2019, 11 volunteers from Kellas Midstream got to grips with their litter pickers and set out to help make a difference at Balmedie Beach.
During the clean-up, staff collected over 15 large bags of litter, mainly from the dunes area of the nature reserve. The bulk of rubbish collected included bottles, broken glass, disposable bbq’s and general rubbish that people leave behind - along with a couple of unusual items including a welly boot!
Alan Murray, Operations and Project Director, took part in the clean-up and said: “Kellas takes part in volunteering days every year and we encourage our staff to participate by offering paid time off to volunteer in the community through days like these. We should all give something back, where possible, to support the communities we live in”. Other members of the team shared Alan’s sentiments and agreed their time well spent, not only in doing something beneficial for the community and environment but also in spending time together out of the office.
Oliver Deeming, Landscape Services Officer at Aberdeenshire Council said he was extremely grateful for the support given by volunteers like us who get involved in helping to keep our beaches clean, his main advice is “to encourage users of the park to take their rubbish home with them”. He explained that the Balmedie Trust do a great job with works around the parks as well as their contribution to voluntary litter collection. However, litter collection is one of the main costs of the park and this money could be better spend elsewhere within the park.
So, as the saying goes, “All you should leave on a beach is your footprints”. Let’s all do the right thing and dispose of our litter properly, keeping Balmedie Beach beautiful.