West and East Coast of Ireland to take part in tandem Beach Clean Up Challenge

A simultaneous beach clean, on Sunday 2nd February, will see the west and east coast of Ireland competing to collect the most marine litter. Get involved in the beach clean taking place on Grattan Beach, Salthill, Co Galway and Shankhill beach, Co Dublin and enjoy the challenges between the east and west coasts.

The Beach Clean is being organised by Galway City Museum with Flossie and the Beach Cleaners, an initiative formed by 12-year-old Flossie Donnelly from Co Dublin. She is committed to raising awareness about plastic pollution and the damage it is doing to our marine life and oceans.

As part of the beach clean, the east and west coast will link up virtually with each other at 2.30pm to compare the rubbish collected in Galway and Dublin. The groups will be competing to see who collected the most rubbish, the highest number of plastic bottles and tin cans. There will also be a competition for the oldest find along the shore, and a prize for the most unusual find.

Speaking about the event Flossie Donnelly said: 'We are so excited that Flossie and the Beach Cleaners, Galway City Museum and The Marine Institute will be taking part in the very first 'virtual beach clean'. Month by month the charity will be organising virtual beach cleans around the coast of Ireland until we have a national virtual beach clean. We are delighted that Galway City Museum and the Marine Institute will be joining us for this exciting event. The East meets the West!"

Harriet Dundon, Marine Institute graduate intern at Galway City Museum said, "On an island nation like Ireland, we are all connected to the ocean and our seashore is important to livelihoods, tourism and our wellbeing. We are becoming more aware of plastic waste in our ocean, and beach cleans are one way we can help make a difference. The museum is delighted to be involved in this national event to raise awareness about marine litter and be the first collaborators with Flossie and the Beach Cleaners on the west coast."

Galway City Museum hosts the Marine Institute's exhibition, Sea Science - The Wild Atlantic exhibition. The exhibition, the first of its kind in the country, has been designed to engage and educate visitors about the value and opportunities provided by our sea. The interactive exhibition spans a variety of topics including ocean currents, seabed mapping and marine litter. The exhibition provides a stimulating learning environment for children to discover the mysteries and science of our oceans, and to also inspire our next generation of marine entrepreneurs, explorers and scientists.

The simultaneous beach clean will be taking place at 1.30pm on Sunday 2nd February 2020. To participate in the beach clean, on either Grattan Beach Clean or Shankill Beach simple turn up on the beach for 1.30pm. Participants will be provided with equipment for rubbish collection and are encouraged to wear appropriate clothing, footwear and join in the event.