Spring clean for Stonehaven beach

Volunteers ready to take part in the Stonehaven beach clean

Around 80 volunteers turned up in chilly and wet conditions on Sunday for the Co-op Keep Scotland Beautiful event, organised by the town’s Horizon Project.

Many local groups and organisations were represented, including Stonehaven and District Lions Club, the Rotary Club, RNLI and Coastguard.

A delighted Stonehaven Horizon Project convener John Cruickshank told the Leader: “It went very well indeed.

The litter-pick covered an extensive area of the beach

“I think we picked up around 20 bags of litter and plastics.”

The beach clean team gathered at the Cowie Bridge and split into three groups and covered Cowie village, round the bay, the beach and did a sweep of the landward side along the promenade.

John said: “It was a really good event and the volunteers are to be congratulated on their efforts.

“It was a great community event in bringing people together.”

Not all the litter pickers were local – two American holidaymakers, who currently live and work in China, joined in with enthusiasm.

John and Anne O’Connell flew in at the weekend from Chengdu where they both teach.

There were no nurdles - small plastic pellets about the size of a lentil - gathered during the clean-up.

Countless billions are used each year to make nearly all plastic products and they are found on beaches up and down the country.

The volunteers had been asked to look out for them so that a report could be made to a site monitoring their presence.