Da Voar Redd Up to go ahead this April in collaboration with Marine Conservation Society
Published: 30 March 2021
The Shetland Amenity Trust is delighted to announce that Da Voar Redd Up (DVRU) is back on and will take place from 24th – 30th April 2021. The annual beach and roadside clean-up was cancelled last year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Organisers have since been working on ways to make the event more efficient and COVID-safe for volunteers who wish to participate.
Da Voar Redd Up is a Shetland-wide annual spring clean which makes a valuable contribution to Shetland's natural environment and wildlife, clearing Shetland's beaches and coastlines of litter and debris washed up in winter storms.
This year the Shetland Amenity Trust has joined forces with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) to deliver the event and has made a number of changes, including the introduction of an online interactive map as well as a digital system for recording important data on the litter that is collected.
All volunteers, including those who have previously participated in Da Voar Redd Up, must now register in a household/support bubble through the MCS Beachwatch website. Here they can select the beach they want to clean via an interactive map. Once registered, volunteers can pick up a pack of 10 bags from the contact-free box outside Shetland Museum and Archives.
During the Redd Up, volunteers are encouraged to complete a survey on the MCS website which provides a valuable insight into the most common forms of litter polluting the UK’s beaches.
Roadside cleaning is still encouraged but there is currently no facility for registering/surveying roadside bruck.
One of the DVRU event organisers, Ali Robertson, said: “We knew that with the COVID restrictions, we would need to reduce our regular large groups down to households only, so re-registering groups was always going to be a necessity. Marine Conservation Society already have an easy-to-use registration database for doing beach cleans and surveying results, so it makes so much sense to collaborate with them. The most exciting part of this relationship is that when Da Voar Redd up volunteers do their surveys through MCS this year, the information will now contribute to UK-wide data of the bruck that is coming ashore in Britain. This data can then be used by MCS to influence government policies and legislations that can limit the amount of a specific type of rubbish entering our seas.”
Tara Proud, Volunteer and Community Engagement Manager at the Marine Conservation Society said: “We’re really pleased to be working with the Shetland Amenity Trust during Da Voar Redd Up to clear Shetland’s beaches of bruck and collect really valuable data. Removing bruck from beaches does help to protect marine wildlife, but as you all know: the bruck just keeps coming back with every tide. This is why we ask you to record the bruck you collect in a simple survey form. The data you collect will be used as evidence to influence government policy to help stop bruck from entering the sea in the first place. By taking part you will be putting Shetland on the map, by adding to 27 years of bruck data which is collected by passionate volunteers around the world.”
Other changes to Da Voar Redd Up this year include extended event dates to prevent many groups congregating on a beach at the same time, and changes to the bruck collection by Shetland Islands Council, which means full redd-up bags must be securely placed on a regular SIC rubbish collection route.
For further details of these changes as well as all information on how to register visit Da Voar Redd Up page on our website or see the Dunna Chuck Bruck facebook page.
Shetland Amenity Trust believe that safety in the community is of the highest priority, so would like to remind volunteers to stick to the most recent government guidance on hand hygiene, lockdown restrictions, social distancing, travel limitations, and household mixing.
Shetland Amenity Trust would like to thank all volunteers and organisations supporting Da Voar Redd Up 2021, including Marine Conservation Society, Shetland Charitable Trust, EnQuest and Shetland Islands Council.
