Committed to Cleaning the Coast with Beach Buddies
Affinity Group and Hill Robinson Yacht Management are collaborating with an award-winning local charity on the Isle of Man, Beach Buddies.
A pledge to take action against plastic pollution and protect the place we call home, our new sustainable initiative involves our teams taking part in beach cleans every quarter. Our aim, protect and preserve our Islands beautiful environment, habitats and wildlife. As an outdoors group activity, we love how this brings our teams together in such a positive and rewarding way. A way to spend time in nature and appreciate our surroundings, we will work together towards common objectives to create a positive difference in our local environment.
Since 2004, Beach Buddies have been clearing plastic off the beaches along the entire Isle of Man coastline. The charity has gone on to become internationally renowned for setting global standards, with the Isle of Man being recognised as having some of the cleanest beaches in the world.
We hear from Buddies Buddies founder, Bill Dale, who shares with us the Beach Buddies story and it’s ambitious, global vision for the future,
“The initial aim of Beach Buddies when it was created in 2006 was to clean up the beaches of the Isle of Man, which we achieved within four years with a very small number of volunteers. Volunteer numbers rose dramatically in 2010 and we then realised that what we had achieved in the Isle of Man was unique and that we had found a solution to the world’s problem in dealing with trash on beaches.
We then started an education programme in schools, to show how to prevent trash getting into the sea and onto beaches and a generation of children in the Isle of Man is now fully engaged with our objectives to maintain our island as having the cleanest beaches in the world, and we have cleaned beaches (and other areas such as parks, playgrounds, hiking trails, streets) with more than 17,000 different volunteers in 16 years – from a population of only 85,000.
The accolade of UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status for the Isle of Man saw the chief executive of UNESCO specifically mention the achievements of Beach Buddies as a key factor when the award was officially presented in 2017.
Our methodology is prioritised around raising awareness, education, media liaison, engagement with politicians and governments, corporate support and sponsorship and – most important of all – inspiring other individuals, families, companies, sponsors and governments to follow what we have done.
We are currently engaging with countries around the world and expanding quickly with the sole aim of encouraging everyone to get involved and to follow the example of the Isle of Man. Our story has been covered around the world and Beach Buddies has been featured in prestigious media such as National Geographic magazine, BBC World News, British regional television, most British newspapers and in several universities across the USA. We know that we have found the solution to this problem and it’s very simple. The aim is to share this with the rest of the world.”
We are thrilled and humbled to have partnered with such an influential charity that has positively impacted our local environment for so many years. We are so excited to be apart of this initiative which we believe truly reflects both Affinity’s and Hill Robinsons relationship to the ocean and passion for the maritime sector.