On the first weekend of October, we headed over to the Jurassic Coast with one main aim, to help clean up Swanage beach!
In 2021, having removed all non-recyclables from our packaging and switched to biodegradable teabags, we partnered with the Marine Conservation Society. They are a fantastic charity, working hard to fight for a cleaner, better protected, healthier ocean. With 100 miles of stunning coastline in Dorset it was important to us we were helping where we could. Since then, our partnership has gone from strength to strength and each year, we help to support their education programme.
So, earlier this month we arranged a community beach clean on Dorset's beautiful Swanage beach. We wanted to stop harmful litter from reaching the ocean and collect vital data that the charity can use to bring about positive change for our seas. Friends and family of Dorset Tea did not disappoint - they came ready to help and that's exactly what we did!
With two beach cleans throughout the day, we removed 380 items from the beach! The vast majority of items were plastic, with our two 'most found' items being cigarette butts and plastic packets.
Lauren Forecast, Dorset Tea's Brand Manager was there on the day. "When we first arrived, Swanage beach looked as wonderful as it always does, and so clean. It was amazing how many pieces of litter we came across once we started to look for it".
"Our recent community beach event in Swanage definitely delivered on Dorset Tea's promise of a 'cup of sunshine'! Glorious weather saw 26 enthusiastic volunteers attend our collaborative beach clean, helping to collect and survey an impressive 2.5kg of litter from a busy beachfront. The data collected on the beach clean will help us take action on litter at its source". Mary Hayman, Learning Team Coordinator, Marine Conservation Society.
On the day, we were lucky enough to be joined by a lovely group of people including volunteers from Home Start Wessex, our Communi-tea partners, and Waterside Holidays who we've worked with throughout the summer. Sea Breeze cafe also supported us by providing hot water, milk and sugar so beach cleaning volunteers could enjoy free cups of sunshine throughout the day!
Coming together with friends and partners of Dorset Tea to do something to help our beautiful natural environment felt very special. It's something we will be continuing to do each year and hope that next time you'll be able to join us.