IRVINE'S eco warriors headed to the beach to play their part in a special Ayrshire-wide challenge.
Irvine Clean Up Crew joined the annual Ayrshire Coastal Path beach clean.
Ayrshire Coastal Path and the Rotary Clubs of Ayr, Alloway and Prestwick were responsible for organising the event. Around 34 bags were collected from the Irvine shore, plus some other bits and pieces.
In Irvine, volunteers ended up focusing on the beach park and the dunes - as the beach itself looked spotless.
Special mentions went to Kathryn Sloan and Catherine Bayliss who cleared the majority of the bags from just one area behind the dunes.
Organisers were encouraged to see so many young people attend, with a number of them working on their Duke of Edinburgh awards.
Jen Pless, chairwoman, said: “We were part of a group of 18 volunteers out of 250 who tackled 20 beaches across the Ayrshire coast, from Girvan to Portencross.
“Most of the bags were at South Beach and were associated with the travellers who had been there.
“We were out for about an hour. The youngest helper was three and the eldest was in their 70s.
“We had quite a few teenagers working on their Duke of Edinburgh badges. We mostly found crisp packets and sweetie wrappers there and on the South Beach there was a gas canister.
“I would encourage people to think about what they are doing and not drop litter or make a big mess.
"They should realise that wherever you drop litter the likelihood is it will end up in the sea where we can’t deal with it.
"Litter makes places look unpleasant, endangers wildlife and does a lot of damage to the ocean.
“There were 400 bags collected throughout the area over the weekend. We don’t want future generations to be left with all this.”
Jen added: “We are always looking for new volunteers to come and help and they would just come along to one of our group litter picks which are advertised on Facebook.
“We have a scavenger hunt and litter pick at the beach on May 29.
“Primary school aged-kids are always enthusiastic and keen to help as are people working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award.”
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