Bathing water season is here... Time to get your feet wet!

BATHING water season is here again. This is the time to get down to the beach and make the most of the beautiful coastline we have on our doorstep. After a tough year of lock downs and restrictions, the coast will be more important than ever to people's health and wellbeing and getting out with their families, who will benefit from the hard work of LOVEmyBEACH and the Turning Tides Partnership. The partnership strives to keep bathing waters and beaches clean, meaning that in 2019, all 29 designated Bathing Waters in the North West met tough bathing water standards, showing how far the Region has come.

Keith Ashcroft, Environment Agency Area Director said:- "In 1988 only 18% of North West Bathing Waters met the minimum standards, which demonstrates the huge amount of work and investment which has gone into cleaning up our coast. Working alongside the Turning Tides partnership and LOVEmyBEACH supporters, our ambition is for North West bathing waters to be even cleaner and for our beaches to always meet and even go beyond, the standards."

Before heading down to the beach, the public is advised to check the Environment Agency's Swimfo website. to check for any pollution risks as a result of rainfall, wind and high tides.

Last year, the North West Coast was inundated with visitors who were unable to travel abroad because of the Pandemic. While this is great news for local business and for people's connection to nature, it also meant that the beaches suffered from people failing to take their litter home and there were also some safety concerns for people who were unfamiliar with tide times.

Richard McIlwain, Deputy CEO of Keep Britain KeepBritainTidy  and representative of the Turning Tides Partnership said:- "While we encourage people to come to the beaches in the North West, we ask that they consider their safety at all times and adhere to Government guidance. We would also advise that they check local tide times on the Council websites and look on the RNLI website for safety information. It is also crucial that when visiting the beach, people take a bag with them so that they can take their litter home or ensure that they leave it in 1 of the nearby bins. We would also ask that people don't leave litter by a full bin and refrain from having BBQs on the beach as they can cause fires, which harms the delicate ecosystems on the coast and the wildlife that inhabit it."
 

AS National Mental Health Awareness Week comes to a close this weekend, the Council's Green Sefton service is calling on people across Sefton to consider volunteering at an outdoor space in their community.

Volunteers make a hugely valuable contribution to the management of Sefton's beautiful coast and countryside. Volunteering can also be a great way for people to socialise with other likeminded people. And there are many mental health benefits to being around nature.

Evidence suggests there are 5 steps, recognised by the NHS and mental health charity Mind, that can improve mental health and wellbeing. These steps are:- connecting with other people, being physically active, learning new skills, giving to others and paying attention to the present moment. All of them are closely linked with volunteering and influence how community opportunities are shaped to promote positive mental health.

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council's Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said:- "Our volunteers are a fantastic asset to Sefton's communities. Not only do they play a vital role in supporting the Council in the upkeep of our green spaces and 22-mile coastline, they also reap the benefits of being outdoors and connecting with nature."

Mark Shaw, Green Sefton Service Manager, said:- "It's been a difficult 12 months where we haven't been able to run as many collaborative volunteer opportunities as we would like to have done, but as the roadmap eases, we can't wait to resume a full calendar of activities."

Regular volunteers get involved in every aspect of Green Sefton and its partners' work. These include practical tasks such as helping collect litter, talking to visitors, leading guided walks and monitoring wildlife or just being an extra set of:- 'eyes and ears' while out walking the dog.

Suzanne McCumiskey, Community Engagement Officer with Green Sefton, said:- "We've got an exciting couple of months ahead of us as we'll be taking part in the Great British Spring Clean, led by the charity Keep Britain Tidy, which also coincides with this year's Volunteers' Week. These are fantastic opportunities for anyone who wants to take up volunteering, to help give back to our beautiful parks and stunning coastline."

Green Sefton is always looking to improve its volunteering opportunities, and as restrictions ease further next week allowing larger groups to gather outdoors, there will be an opportunity that's right for everyone across the Borough.