Big clean up across North Devon and Torridge

Plastic Free North Devon (PFND) is hosting a Cleanse and Clean Day of Action to spruce up the great outdoors this Saturday (January 27).

Wherever people are in North Devon and Torridge, the charity is encouraging them to get outside on the day or throughout this week to do their bit.

Various public events are taking place in Barnstaple, Braunton and coastal communities.

The Cleanse and Clean campaign aims to encourage everyone from individuals and community groups to schools and businesses to get in the great outdoors and pick up rubbish as they go.

Anne-Marie Eveleigh, PFND operations manager, said: “This year’s Day of Action is set to be bigger and more impactful than 2023, including 12 public cleans across North Devon, plus lots of schools, businesses and organisations getting involved in their communities.

“You can pop along to join our amazing volunteers and be part of the action at a public clean or you can do your own thing close to home. It all makes a difference any action can be entered into the competition to win a dryrobe.”

Public events include:

Friday (January 26): Braunton - Tarka Trail, 2pm, meet at Braunton Countryside Centre; Woolacombe Meadow - 2pm to 4pm, meet at the Meadow Hut.

Saturday (January 27): Barnstaple – Newport, 10.30am to 12.30pm, meet at B&M carpark, HollowTree Road; Anchor Woods - 2pm to 4pm, meet at the gate to Anchor Woods at the care home end of Park Avenue; The Strand – 10.30am to 12.30pm, meet at the Millennium Mosaic near Queen Anne's Café.

Braunton: Velator - 10am to 12pm, meet at Velator Quay; Crow Point -  11am to 1pm, meet at the main Crow Point car park; Lower Park Road – 10.30am to 11.30am, meet at Ithaca, Lower Park Road.

Ilfracombe: Wildersmouth Beach, 11am to 2pm, meet at Wildersmouth Beach; Hele Bay - 2pm to 4pm, meet at Hele Bay Beach; Lee Bay - 10am, meet on Lee Bay.

Woolacombe Beach – 10.30am to 12.30pm, meet at Mill Rock.

Instow - 11am to 1pm, meet at the Glorious Oyster.

Westward Ho! 10am to 12noon, meet at Westward Ho! slipway.

People can carry out their own Cleanse and Clean - this could be a stroll around your village, a bracing dip in the ocean or a cycle around the park on the Day of Action, picking up rubbish as you go.

Businesses can still take part by organising a Cleanse and Clean on the Day of Action (Saturday) or in the week leading up to it.

Many schools have already signed up. You can still organise a clean at your school this week.

Record what you have collected, send to PFND and everyone who took part will be entered into the prize draw. Just send in your stats from your action to enter the competition via the PFND website or email your name, age, clean information and image to: info@plasticfreenorthdevon.org to enter the competition.

To find out more about how you can get involved please email info@plasticfreenorthdevon.org.

If you are a litter picking group already, PFND would love to hear from you and get you involved too.

You can see more information about the campaign on the charity’s website at www.plasticfreenorthdevon.org or social media pages.