An army of volunteer water workers are taking time out of their days to do beach cleans in support of World Oceans Day.
More than 200 volunteers from Essex & Suffolk Water, which is part of Northumbrian Water Group, are set to roll their sleeves up to tackle any rubbish that has accumulated on local beauty spots in order to play their part in reducing the amount of litter entering our seas.
World Oceans Day takes place on Tuesday, June 8th to unite ocean action from all continents and highlight the global issue of marine litter and to help promote a healthier ocean – no matter where people live.
Essex & Suffolk Water’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Louise Hunter, said: “I’m thrilled with the number of our people turning up to help out through our employee volunteering programme - taking part in more than 15 team beach cleans across our operating areas and providing over one thousand people hours to help clean up our environment.
“Our people have worked throughout the pandemic to help keep our customers’ water flowing and many haven’t been able to see their colleagues face-to-face in over a year. Our volunteering programme is a fantastic way for our people to take some time out of their busy schedules, catch up with their co-workers in a safe way, all whilst doing something great for their local communities.
“Supporting our communities and protecting our environment is at the heart of what we do – and we’re really blessed to have some of the best beaches in the country. We can all do our bit to keep our beaches and bathing waters as pristine as we possibly can, and you can do that by taking your rubbish home.”
The company’s employee volunteering programme, Just an Hour, supports its people to give a minimum of 15 hours every year to help community and charitable causes close to their hearts.
Essex based apprentice, Aimee Finer, who is one of the company’s beach clean organisers, said: “To have such a vast number of our people out in the community, supporting a great cause and doing their bit for the environment is truly wonderful. The community is at the heart of what we do and we all have a part to play in protecting the environment.
“Our Just an Hour scheme is brilliant and I have not come across anything like this in my career up until now. I am proud to be able to promote volunteering opportunities within the business as well as offer my time and do my bit.
“Volunteering is great opportunity for team building and catching up – while doing something really rewarding at the same time for the environment. We’re always looking for new volunteering opportunities in our local communities to support, so I’d urge groups or organisations to get in touch if they have any.”
For more information on how Essex & Suffolk Water support’s local communities and to request for volunteer support, visit the ‘Responsibility’ section of www.nwg.co.uk