A team from Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission (SHE Transmission) has been helping to give the beautiful Burghead Bay, near Findhorn in the north of Scotland, a spruce up for spring.
As part of this year’s Big Spring Beach Clean initiative, the team of six – who all work on the nearby Blackhillock project – used their ‘Be the Difference’ day to help out at the event organised by SAS (Surfers Against Sewage). Armed with bin liners and gloves, the team tackled any litter that had been washed ashore and were ably assisted by their mascot, Bonny the dog.
“Over the winter, the strong winds and tides wash up litter onto these beaches,” said Gary Matthewman from SHE Transmission Major Projects, who led the team. “While none of us are surfers we work in the nearby area and see this stunning scenery on an almost daily basis, so we want others to appreciate it too. Helping to clean up this area of shoreline that locals and tourists can enjoy throughout the year was a great opportunity for us to give back to the community we work in.”
Burghead Bay is part of an eleven mile stretch of beach that includes Findhorn Bay, Roseisle Bay and Burghhead Beach. It’s one of the best known beaches in Moray where seals are often spotted and is popular with walkers and water sport enthusiasts.
This year is the largest Big Spring Beach Clean ever, aimed at protecting the UK’s beaches, waves and wildlife from the rising tide of marine litter. The initiative plans to clean up at least 150 beaches – using some 5,000 volunteers - during 2015. Our SHE Transmission team volunteers who used their ‘Be the Difference’ day to take part were: Gary Matthewman, Paul Diss-Evans, Phillip Bowen, Shaun Eldridge, Jake Hanson, Darren Richardson and, of course, Bonny.
Since the launch of SSE's ‘Be the Difference’ volunteering programme, it has helped over 2,500 projects, with SHE Transmission’s employees dedicating their time to projects that matter in the communities where they live and work.