#LoveTheMenai SUP Clean

This Wednesday we held a practical Volunteer session at Plas Menai; using stand up paddleboards to remove rubbish in the Menai Strait as part of our #LoveTheMenai campaign with the Menai Strait Partnership Forum.

The Menai Strait is a beautiful natural feature and a key environmental resource for North Wales. However, the Menai faces several anthropogenic pressures that threaten its ecological health. Pollution, especially plastic pollution, is one of the most pressing issues faced by the Menai Strait.

Equipped with Paddleboards and some buckets, our team and a group of very helpful volunteers went out and collected rubbish. Working together we managed to clear around 4 Kilograms of rubbish, collecting anything we could find. The main pollutants we came across were: plastic bottles, glass bottles, plastic wrappers and fishing equipment.

In the short amount of time we were out on the Menai we encountered: Seals, Kingfishers, Curlew, Egrets and Herons. All of these species face the risks and challenges associated with plastic pollution on a daily basis. By removing rubbish we have helped to reduce the negative impact felt by human waste on the Menai Strait. If ever you happen upon rubbish in or around the Menai Strait please take the time to remove it, even just one set of hands can make a massive difference.

Diolch yn fawr to all the volunteers that joined us and to Plas Menai for hosting the event. We’ll definitely be back to clear up the Menai again soon!

Written by Josh Berry