w/c 5th July 2021
Last week was Clean Beaches Week 2021, an event used to mark the period within which beaches are most vulnerable to rubbish and littering. Meanwhile, Clean Beaches Week aims to inspire, encouraging coastal locals and tourists alike to keep our beaches waste-free. Thankfully, this includes Southend-on-Sea; our town boasts an iconic coastline and, in an effort to protect it, we must all maintain our beaches with pride.
At Southend BID we are committed to keeping our beaches waste-free, hosting clean-up events throughout the year to highlight this important issue. For example, on the 1st June 2021 we hosted a clean-up event throughout the town, removing rubbish alongside several BID businesses in recognition of the Great British Spring Clean. We consistently work with partners to enhance Southend-on-Sea and with our beaches attracting tourists from far and wide, this is a top priority.
We are therefore delighted to say that Southend-on-Sea has been commended for the quality and management of our beaches; five Southend beaches have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag award by Keep Britain Tidy, whilst all eight have received the Seaside Award. This result means that of the 20 Seaside Awards currently awarded across the East of England, almost half belong to Southend-on-Sea. This is a tremendous achievement that recognises our community’s love for Southend’s historic, beautiful scenery. It is also a motivating accomplishment that’s come at an ideal time; with restrictions planned to end on the 19th July, a larger number of locals and tourists will once again be visiting our beaches. Our community has shown that we’re capable of leading by example and this isn’t something we want to waver. Throughout 2021 and beyond we must all remain equally committed to the environment and Southend’s beaches and we have been working with the council on their latest littering campaign to help convey this.
To support this cause and consistently protect Southend-on-Sea’s award-winning beaches, the team at Southend BID will continue to oversee clean-up events, highlight this message among the Southend community and encourage visitors to take rubbish home with them after a day at the beach.
We would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Southend BID businesses on our seafront and the exceptional work that they do, using their platforms to enhance our town. Similarly, our Street Ranger team and Southend council’s Beach Welfare Officers continue to work on-the-ground, proactively looking after the people on our seafront. I am thrilled to be part of such a collaborative, proud community who are so willing to invest their time in some of Southend’s most iconic spots.