Till the Coast is Clear’s founder Gary Jolliffe with BBC Countryfile’s Anita Rani
What a privilege it was to be included in the BBC Countryfile episode that went out recently! It focused on the fabulous South Devon coastline around Wembury and the appreciative and creative people who make this special place their home.
I have the National Trust to thank for putting Till the Coast is Clear on Countryfile's radar, and after a few phone conversations and some scrutinising of maps and apps, it was decided that we should focus on the shoreline of the Yealm estuary due to its beauty, sheltered position and proximity to Wembury.
Even by the standards of the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Yealm estuary is a special place, it is as if a great sculptor carved it out of the rolling landscape, then an exceptional painter added all the details. It is a cherished place, a haven for wildlife, water lovers, walkers, twitchers and thousands of tourists each year.
As is the way with these things, we conducted a recce on a stunningly beautiful autumnal day, blessed with azure skies and a favourable tide. I even had the pluck to say, as we cast off onboard Coast Clear One, ‘we might even see Kingfishers on a day like this!’ Realising as soon as I had said it, that I was probably being overly optimistic.
Within a quarter of an hour, as we gently pushed upstream, we had seen not only flashes of the brilliant iridescent blue that only the Kingfisher can provide, but more herons, egrets, sand pipers and cormorants than you could point a camera at!
Everyone in the boat was buzzing, that was, until we set ashore to tend to the serious business of the day, that of checking the strand line for evidence of plastic and other marine pollution.
Perversely we were not to be disappointed! Straight away the high tide line revealed that which is so difficult to see from even a short distance away; fishing line, dolly rope, trawler net, single use plastic bottles, snack rappers, carrier bags, nylon and polypropylene rope, shot gun cartridge cases and wadding, wet wipes & lighters.
In a comical moment that will always stay with me, the program researcher untangled some blue tubular plastic from the surrounding seaweed, proudly held it aloft and said, ‘Well, i’ve done my good deed for the day.’ It was only when I pointed out what it was, that she yelled ‘oh my …! And threw it into the boat in disgust.
It was one of hundreds of sanitary product applicators that we commonly find on our shorelines, the result of the ignorant flushing away of such items which then bypass treatment works during storm events, same goes for wet wipes, which unbeknown to most are 50-80% plastic and are definitely not ‘flushable’.
Typically, two weeks later on filming day the skies were menacing, the wind was a swirling force 4 and an ebbing spring tide added to the excitement!
Unaccustomed to skippering the boat in such conditions, I had one hell of a tussle, but buoyed by the occasion, managed to get us all out and back safely, if not completely dry…
Anita was enthusiastic and you can instinctively tell she genuinely cares about the environment and what she does. We chatted about our work and her recent experiences filming Hugh & Anita’s War on Plastic and the gradual positive impact all these things are collectively having.
Unfortunately were unable to land in all the locations we had identified during the recce due to the conditions, but I’m pleased that we managed to get the point across that there is way too much plastic being produced and used for unnecessary purposes and that it is time to wake up to our collective responsibilities as consumers and as guardians of our fragile planet.
It was an absolute pleasure working with the BBC Countryfile team, what a great bunch of people! Managing to blend being good fun, relaxed and approachable, with; professionalism, dedication and skill in all weathers is no mean feat, hats off to you guys!
A big thanks to Richard Snow (National Trust) for joining the dots and to Mark Beighton, Harbour Master (River Yealm Harbour Authority) for his assistance.
Finally, our gratitude to our partners and sponsors; CoGen, Rockfish, Coastal Recycling, The Plastic Company & The Soar Mill Cove Hotel for their continuing support and dedication to doing business for good.