Students from the Cornwall campus clean up on the beaches

They were already put to good use before the COVID-19 restrictions were enacted, as Exeter and Falmouth students teamed up with members of the local community to patrol Cornish beaches and pick up the litter that was polluting our beauty spots and endangering the animals, birds and marine life with whom we are lucky to share the coastline of Cornwall.

The Beach Clean Project was set up by students from our Penryn campus, who volunteer their time and work with local community groups to help clear the Cornish coastline of litter and plastics. As well as beach cleans, they run events to educate their fellow students on the environmental impact of marine plastics, consumption and waste and hold workshops on how to repurpose the rubbish they find. This society actively works with partners such as Big Blue Ocean Cleanup and the Falmouth Civic Society to create stronger links between the University and the local Cornish community. The Beach Clean Project have even won an award from the National Union of Students for the ‘Best Fundraising and Campaigning Society’ for their efforts!

President Emily Gilford thanked alumni for their generosity and says that ‘with the issues of the climate emergency being extremely relevant at the moment, we think that giving students the opportunity to learn more about how they can make small changes in their lives to minimise their impacts on the environment is extremely important’. Although their group cleans have been halted by COVID-19, the Beach Clean Project still share useful information on the environment and sustainability on their public Facebook page.