Students gather for the beach clean.

Cornwall students join SAS for beach clean

More than 80 students from the University of Exeter and University College Falmouth sprung into action as part of an FXU Community Action/Surfers against Sewage (SAS) Beach Clean.

Following a safety briefing given by SAS at Swanpool Beach near Falmouth, the students set to work and cleaned the beach and nearby nature reserve before heading off to another local beach, Gyllyngvase, collecting litter from the coastal path along the way.

“As well as the items that you would expect to find – plastic bottles, glass and marine waste – more unusual finds included a printer/copier,” commented FXU’s Community Action Coordinator, Sally Ewen. “FXU, the combined students’ union for University College Falmouth and the University of Exeter, is proud of the students’ commitment to their local environment and the time they devote to marine conservation and local charities.”

"Surfers Against Sewage was overwhelmed by the number of university students who turned up for the beach clean,” commented SAS Beach Clean Events Officer, Adam Beare.  “Their enthusiasm to help on our Motivocean tour was fantastic and without them we would not have been able to remove in the region of half a ton of marine litter. We are already looking forward to the next beach clean with Falmouth and Exeter students and really appreciate their help."

This beach clean, held on Saturday February 5, was followed by a further FXU Community Action event at Trelissick Garden, also near the Tremough Campus, where more than 30 students helped the National Trust to clear brushwood.

For further information about FXU Community Action, visit www.fxu.org.uk

Date: 15 February 2011