Join the Archbishop of Wales on a beach clean

The Archbishop of Wales is inviting volunteers to help him pick up litter on a beach clean this month to raise awareness of plastic pollution.

Archbishop Andrew John will be collecting bagfuls of rubbish, which has been washed up or just left on the shoreline of a North Wales beach, to help keep the area clean and safe for wildlife.

The event takes place on October 19 at Dinas Dinlle beach, near Caernarfon, which being on the west coast, is hit particularly hard by the prevailing winds carrying rubbish, including plastic bottles, netting, cartons and bags, onto the shore.

The Archbishop’s beach clean takes place ahead of the Church in Wales’ Restoring Welsh Rivers summit in November. The summit, organised by the Archbishop, will bring together 70 leaders from a range of backgrounds, including farmers, water industry representatives, environmentalists and academics, to focus on the crisis facing our rivers and find ways of improving water quality.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature estimates that 14 million tonnes of plastic end up in our oceans each year, and plastic makes up 80% of all marine debris. Plastic is lethal to marine life – the United Nations has estimated that it kills about a million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles every year.

Archbishop Andrew says, “Those of us who have been on beach holidays this summer cannot have failed to notice how much plastic now lies alongside the seashells on the shoreline. This plastic is dangerous to our native wildlife, as it chokes and poisons them, as well as gets into our food chain. Beach cleans can make a difference and for me they are an important and practical way of showing that we care about our environment, our precious rivers and seas, and want to look after them.

“I am glad to see the movement is growing across the country with more and more volunteers taking part. Please do join me at Dinas Dinlle on October 19 – let’s inspire change.”

All the rubbish collected will be sorted and recycled as much as possible. Volunteers are advised to wear thick gloves and waterproof clothing.

• The beach clean starts at 12 midday on October 19 at Dinas Dinlle Beach, Caernarfon, LL54 5TW