BEACH cleaners are making the journey from the Isle of Man to west Cumbria to encourage people to keep their shores clean.

A group of volunteers from the Beach Buddies charity, which is based on the island, will visit Ravenglass and Braystones this weekend to carry out litter picks and encourage people to take ownership of their community.

Cleaners are set to meet on the village green in Ravenglass at 10.30am on Saturday, then at the same time on Braystones beach the following day, with gloves, litter pickers and bags to be supplied for anyone who wants to help.

Bill Dale, who founded the charity in 2007, said: “Everybody is talking about plastic, from David Attenborough to the Queen.

“It’s a subject which is capturing the imagination and people want to know what they can do about it.

“We’re going to supply all of the kit and anyone who wants to come, just turn up on the day.

“The children love it once they have a go and quite often get hooked on it.

“This will be one of the first groups we’ve ever set up outside of the Isle of Man.

“The really key thing is to talk to people and explain to them that you can’t just throw rubbish everywhere.”

Bill said the most common items found discarded on beaches came from fast-food takeaways, with plastic bottles and polystyrene containers accounting for a lot of the waste.

His hope is that people will “get the bug” for looking after the area and organise their own beach cleans, as well as encouraging others to pick up rubbish wherever they see it.

Beach Buddies has built up more than 11,600 volunteers since it started, with Bill receiving a British Empire Medal and the Tynwald Honour for his efforts to help the environment and tackle marine rubbish.

The charity also runs a sponsored programme to have bins placed at access points to beaches.