Staff account for rubbish during beach clean

A popular South Devon beach is rubbish-free after being cleared of litter by one of our teams.

Staff working in the Plymouth-based accounts department tidied-up Wembury beach as part of an employee volunteering programme launched earlier this year. We are committed to supporting regional charities and organisations by delivering more than 14,000 employee volunteering hours every year until 2030.

Wembury beach is managed by the National Trust and is renowned for rock-pooling and diverse wildlife, but like many beaches experiences rubbish being washed up or left by visitors.

Plastics were the most common waste found by our 15-strong team, but they were encouraged that only two bags needed to be filled.

Invoicing team leader Katie Greenaway said: “We are all very passionate about the outdoors so we thought it would be a great idea to give something back to the environment that we live in and help with some volunteering.

“It was something completely different to do and everyone was really enthusiastic about it. Usually we are sat at our desks so it was wonderful to enjoy the glorious sunshine in somewhere as pretty as Wembury.”

Samantha Barnes, senior volunteering and communities officer for the National Trust in South Devon, said: “Beach cleans play an important role in looking after our coastal ecosystems and are a positive step towards recovering our oceans. The NGED team removed plastics, fishing line, cans and even a flip flop, directly contributing to a cleaner beach and healthier ocean.”

In the new year the Plymouth accounts team are aiming to help plant some of the 40,000 trees planned for Wembury Forest.