Bag the Bruck 2016

"Bag the Bruck" is an annual event in Orkney and is the time communities go out collecting bruck (rubbish) from around the beaches.  Not only does it make the beaches look better, but more importantly it helps the environment and all the marine life and birds that live along the shore.

This year Team Sandside were out in force - Irene from Breckan, who together with myself, co-ordinated our team which was made up of Becky, Katiem and James Braddock.  They did all the scampering around among the dunes, sand and rocks collecting all sorts of bruck.  They are very switched on to this and James was explaining how the rope and string on the beach might catch around the feet of the birds and they would die, trapped on the shore.

Becky valiantly helped remove the tyre from the beach which had been full of sand. It was a joint effort, I spotted the tyre, James scooped out all the sand, and Becky carried it up to the road.  I asked her if it was too heavy for her to carry, to which she replied "It's lighter than Mum's handbag".  Hee hee....

James collected driftwood with a vengeance.  I'd spotted this wonderful long piece of driftwood across the beach, but gave James the chance to get it as I'm sure a wee boy will have more fun with it. He said he's well armed against vampires now.

It was a very cold, windy day and sand was blown into our faces, but we valiantly carried on!  The two beaches we cleaned up were actually not too bad. They are the most frequently visited and most folk try and remove any litter or "bruck" they see.  Though as Katie said, it was remarkably clean considering there was nothing between it and Canada!

So thanks kids for an entertaining time, and you will now be a permanent addition to Team Sandside, which used to just be made up of Irene & myself, and formerly her old dog, Shandy, and once, HRH Princess Button.  But Button stayed indoors snoozing today. Way too cold for a puss cat to be out and about.

Other folk on the island will be doing other beaches and then all the bags will be sent over to be collected by the local authority for disposal.  All around Orkney over the last two weekends lots of groups will be "bagging the bruck".  A great community effort.