Beach clean with Manx Wildlife Trust
8 March 2010
SPRING CLEANING CAN BE A BEACH
This month a team from Fairbairn Private Bank joined up with the
Manx Wildlife Trust for a beach clean at The Scarlett nature
reserve near Castletown. An enthusiastic crowd of staff,
children and dogs took time out of their busy weekend to learn more
about the area and clear it of litter. During the course of the
afternoon the volunteers managed to fill two industrial-sized
wheelie bins full of rubbish that had been washed up on the
shore.
Janet Taylor, Fairbairn Private Bank’s senior marketing
executive, commented: “We have supported the Manx Wildlife Trust
for many years and our staff enjoy the opportunity to play a part
in protecting the island’s scenery and wildlife. This initiative is
particularly worthwhile when we read so much about the harm that
discarded plastics can do to the environment. Helping out the
wardens, while learning more about this unique area, made for a
very lively and interesting afternoon.”
Although any rubbish is an eyesore on land, plastic items on the
shoreline can be lethal to marine life if they are washed back out
to sea. According to the United Nations Environmental
Programme (UNEP), more than one million seabirds and one hundred
thousand marine mammals are killed annually by plastics in the
seas.
Armed with gloves and rubbish sacks, the volunteers worked hard
to clear the rocky shoreline of accumulated flotsam and jetsam. One
of the worst offenders is the notorious plastic bag. According to
DEFRA, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the
average plastic carrier bag is used for five minutes, but takes
around 500 years to decompose!
Scarlett is a unique landscape of spectacular geographical
formations and is home to an abundance of wildlife and plants. It
is particularly renowned for its display of coastal flowers in the
spring so the task for the afternoon was to clear the area so it
looks its best when the flowers come through.
Ends
Notes to editor:
About Manx Wildlife Trust
The Manx Wildlife Trust is the leading nature conservation charity
on the Isle of Man, with concern for both terrestrial and marine
environments. Its aim is to secure the future of the many
special habitats and species that exist on this beautiful
Island. To find out more, please visit http://www.manxwt.org.uk/
About Fairbairn Private Bank
Fairbairn Private Bank operates a comprehensive private and
personal banking operation on behalf of a wide range of clients.
These include private individuals, non-trading companies, trusts,
governments and institutional investors. A full range of banking,
investment, trust and corporate services can be accessed through
its offices in the Jersey, Isle of Man, London and its
representative office in South Africa.
Fairbairn Private Bank is a member of the Old Mutual Group.
When referring to Fairbairn Private Bank – please ensure that
the company name is printed in full and not abbreviated.
For further information:
Janet Taylor or Lesley Allegro, Fairbairn Private
Bank Tel: +44
(0) 1624 645000
Issued by:
Kara McCabe, Isle of Man Advertising and PR
Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)1624 620440