Hartlepool Sixth Form College takes part in regional beach clean

Youngsters from Hartlepool Sixth Form College, in Blakelock Road, took part in a beach clean at Seaton Carew alongside sea and marine life conservation organisation Seascapes.

SeaScapes is a landscape partnership project that covers the area between the Tyne and Tees rivers and has a range of partners including Hartlepool Borough Council and the National Trust.

The coastal clean ups – that also took place in Sunderland and Northumberland – are part of Education Partnership North East’s contribution to Good for Me, Good For FE, a national campaign driving a sustainable programme of community action across the UK.

Chris McMahon, curriculum manager at Hartlepool Sixth Form College, said: “It’s part of our community engagement project which is something that the Education Partnership North East college group – so Sunderland College, Northumberland College and Hartlepool Sixth Form College – are taking part in as a collective group to see if we can clean up as much rubbish across the different beaches in the region as we can.”

During this scheme, students have been taught about conservation, preservation and pollution, and taken part in beach surveys.

Hartlepool Sixth Form College principal, Jane Reed, said: "We know there is an unprecedented public interest in our seas and marine conservation and it is our aim at the Hartlepool Sixth Form College to inspire and empower our young people to help protect our cherished coastline.

"With the help of Durham Wildlife Trust our staff and students collected and amazing 18 large bags of rubbish from the beach and sand dunes at Seaton Carew, which means that is 18 bags not going back into the sea and harming wildlife.

"Our students enjoyed the day and now have a deeper understanding and passion for marine environment and how to better look after it."

Louise Harrington, beach care officer for Seascapes, said: “If we didn’t do this, litter would end up in the sea eventually, which would either float to the bottom of the sea, which isn’t good for habitats and ecosystems, or it could get ingested by marine mammals and fish.

"We’ve also got the little terns here as well so any hazard that we can remove from the beach to protect the little terns and other seabirds is a bonus really.”

The terns have become a beloved part of the Seaton Carew landscape since their arrival in Hartlepool in 2019 after being chased from Crimdon Dene by crows.

Thanks to the commitment from students, members of the public and Hartlepool Borough Council, Seaton Carew beach has been granted a seaside award, given only to English beaches that are safe, clean and meet the highest environmental standards.

Students from Hartlepool Sixth Form College also took part in the scheme in 2023.