The people of Cornwall will be showing their love for their beaches on Valentine’s Day when they join forces and take part in organised beach cleans throughout the county on Love Your Beach Day 2019.

Last year, more 300 volunteers across the county battled the elements to take part in the first, Love Your Beach Day.

The day hosted 13 organised beach cleans across the county, largely organised by the Your Shore Network, Hayle Youth Project, Holywell Surf Lifesaving Club and Praze an Beeble WI.

After the success of last year’s day, the Your Shore Beach Rangers team has decided to do it again this Valentine’s Day on Thursday, February 14.

Jenn Sandiford, the Trust’s Your Shore Beach Rangers youth engagement officer, said: “It’s so hugely important to continue this momentum when it comes to plastic pollution.

"We all need to continue to support, raise awareness and take part in beach cleans across the county. It’s really easy to feel disheartened when it comes to issues in conservation, but this day shows that with an idea and the right people, we can all have a massive impact."

Carolyn Cadman, Chief Executive of Cornwall Wildlife Trust, joined in last year’s Love Your Beach Day and added: “Taking part in a beach clean and removing litter makes a real difference to wildlife living in and around the coasts of Cornwall. Everyone is welcome and we will be encouraging people who join us to talk to others and to use social media to show friends, families and local politicians why it’s important to take action for wildlife.”

The volunteers will be joining forces on Valentine’s Day including those from Holywell Surf Lifesaving Club, Plastic Free Perranporth, Beach Guardian and BIFFA Cornwall.

The Your Shore Network groups involved so far are Friends of Fowey, Three Bays Wildlife Group, Looe Marine Conservation Group, St Agnes Marine Conservation Group, Falmouth Marine Conservation Group, Newquay Marine Group, Mount’s Bay Marine Group and Polzeath Marine Conservation Group.

Everybody’s welcome to take part in Cornwall’s Love Your Beach Day. Even if you can’t make the organised beach cleans, one person can still have an impact; get yourself down to your local beach, do a mini beach clean, draw or make a heart, take a picture and get it on social media using the following hashtags; #loveyourbeach #loveyourbeachfrom‘nameofbeach’ i.e. #loveyourbeachfromcaerhays #yourshorenetwork. The more hashtags the bigger it will be!

To find out more please visit www.beachrangers.com or email Jenn Sandiford on jennifer.sandiford@cornwallwildlifetrust.org

The Your Shore Beach Rangers is a project funded by Our Bright Future as part of Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Cornwall College, Newquay.

It aims to build on the already established Your Shore Network, helping in creating new and sustainable voluntary marine conservation groups around the county, encouraging more young people to get involved and offering training and development of those all-important skills for the future whilst engaging them with the marine and coastal environment.