No buried treasure just dead seals
At 11:30 am on a bright windy Thursday morning, a group significantly larger than I’d imagined gathered around the Toasty Shack on East Sands. Some were carrying litter pickers and gloves, others, for whom this was their first time, were awaiting clearer instruction.
Amongst the group were a mixture of young and old, with an elderly couple who were something of a regular at beach cleans as well as a mother with two young children, one of whom had brought a pair of kitchen tongs as a child-sized litter picker.
Over the years many ships have fallen prey to the rocks on this stretch of shore. Perhaps driven by unrealistic expectations of pirate gold I started by asking if anyone had found any treasure. “No doubloons,” one man said, “But I once found a dead seal.”
Organised by the St Andrews Environmental Network, a local charity dedicated to promoting sustainability throughout the community, the East Sand beach clean-up usually happens about once a month. In conjunction with the Clean and Green team, these beach cleans help to preserve the local environment by removing waste materials dredged up by storms. Sharp shards of glass and plastic fishing nets can harm local wildlife whilst toxic materials including cigarette buts can pollute the beach.
Soon two men in high vis from the Clean and Green team came over, providing bags, litter pickers, and gloves to the eager crowd of volunteers. Careful instructions were then given to avoid unexploded ordinance which sometimes washes up on the shore.
Fanning out over the beach, the volunteers and members of the Clean and Green team sifted through banks of seaweed and piles of debris laced with bright blue fishing nets. Pulling out these deadly threads one by one, our bags soon grew heavy with the fingerprints of old catches, sometimes lost to the sea for years. Volunteers found bits of crab smashed up by the waves, a reminder of how quickly the calm sea can change.
Stopping by the rocks at the end of the beach we were told to look out for old pottery which sometimes washes up on this stretch of shore. In many cases, these dull fragments predate the town itself, a distant reminder of St Andrews’ ancient past.
After an hour of picking litter, East Sands was markedly cleaner, and the volunteers filed back to the toasty shack. Upon weighing our bags and diligently counting how much rubbish had been collected a group photo was taken and we were all invited to wave our litter pickers in the air.
Organisations like the St Andrews Environmental Network play an important yet often overlooked role in maintaining the town. Bringing together students and townsfolk they help to bridge the gap between town and gown. Recently, the charity has launched a series of important sustainability projects including a new Refill Shop aimed at providing environmentally conscious products for those from less affluent backgrounds.
The Clean and Green team also work across town, cleaning bins and stripping off graffiti as well as playing a vital role at big calendar events including St Andrews Day.
The charity is keen to work with students offering a range of volunteering opportunities from helping out in their community garden to working behind the scenes and providing social media and marketing support.
Photo: Beau Thomas