I've raised £2000 to Help Clean the Jurassic Coast
Organised by Derek Billings
Story
100 miles in 24 hours!
As many of my family and friends know, I work on England's only natural World Heritage Site - The Jurassic Coast, specifically at Lulworth and Durdle Door, two of the busiest locations along the 95 mile stretch of incredible geology and landscapes.
During the past summer I was tasked with working on a publicity campaign, and on-the-ground operation of keeping this area in a pristine condition. This was a result of the surge in domestic tourism (post lockdown), with visitors unaware of how to behave in a natural environment. Simple things like 'leaving the area as you found it' was an alien concept to these people. It made the job desperate at times, and soul destroying at others. I am determined for this not to happen again.
Thus, this year I am raising money for a fantastic bunch of environmental campaigners - Clean Jurassic Coast. These people have answered the call when I needed volunteers, and they also travel up and down the coast dealing with litter that has been left behind or washed in, with funds coming directly from their own pockets. In their words:
Clean Jurassic Coast was started to help keep this World Heritage Site free from litter as well as plastic debris washing in from the sea. Their team of volunteers carry out regular clean up operations, removing hundreds of kilograms of plastic waste every week. In 2020, the team removed in excess of 2000kg.
Funds will go towards essential beach cleaning equipment, fueling and maintenance of a newly purchased beach cleaning boat(!), and general costs for them to continue to operate.
By supporting Clean Jurassic Coast, you help to fund our ongoing commitment to keep The Jurassic Coast clean so that the vast array of wildlife get to live in their natural environment, millions of visitors may enjoy it and future generations can marvel at its history for ever more.
Check out their efforts on the Clean Jurassic Coast website
How am I raising funds? Well, I'm putting myself into a huge challenge. I will attempt to run the entire Jurassic Coast (100 miles with all the twists and turns) in one push. Not only that, I plan to do this in 24 hours! I've never run anything near this distance before so am fully planning on being broken by the end of it. However, if it can raise awareness about the litter problems we have faced recently, and fund the Clean Jurassic Coast team, then every penny is worth it.
The date of the run will be late April/early May depending on the weather. Better get training!
Any donation is gratefully received so thank you, and thanks for reading my story.
Derek
