Surfers Against Sewage Education Tour

Coastal environmental education programme reaches out to schools in the North East.

Surfers Against Sewage’s innovative environmental education programme will be visiting the North East of England from the 21st to 26th May, with the support of the Quiksilver Foundation. The SAS education team will be visiting locations from Mablethorpe to Newcastle, visiting schools and colleges along the way.

SAS educational sessions provide up-to-date information and local actions that can be taken by the students in tackling marine pollution, complementing the cross-curricular syllabus at primary and secondary levels. SAS believes that inspiring young people and providing them with the tools to help protect our oceans, waves and beaches, will help create a new generation of environmental ambassadors.

Dominic Ferris, SAS Campaigns & Education Officer says: “Through our educational programme we hope to share the beauty and complexity of our marine environments, giving students and the wider community the inspiration, knowledge and tools to help protect the UK’s precious waves, oceans and beaches.”

SAS’s school presentation is delivered in classrooms, assemblies and even on beaches, and includes a specially designed presentation and interactive environmental board game, ‘Marineopoly’. The lessons cover all of SAS’s latest initiatives including campaigns on sewage pollution, marine litter, climate change, toxic chemicals, shipping and wave protection.

Every student participating in the sessions will receive a ‘SAS Green Ambassador’ certificate and an ‘SAS Quiksilver Education Tour’ interactive educational booklet, along with the chance to win special SAS & Quiksilver prizes for contributions during the presentation. The SAS educational programme has received very positive feedback from schools across the country and has already communicated the importance of protecting UK beaches to thousands of students nationwide.

“The talk that Surfers Against Sewage gave was brilliant! We filled the lecture theatre and some people actually had to sit on the stairs.” Falmouth University Student Union.

Surfers Against Sewage is an environmental charity protecting the UK’s oceans, waves and beaches for all to enjoy safely and sustainably, via community action, campaigning, volunteering, conservation, education and scientific research. SAS projects target environmental issues affecting beaches including marine litter, sewage pollution, climate change, toxic chemicals, shipping and coastal development. SAS has over 50,000 active supporters across the UK.

The Quiksilver Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to benefiting and enhancing the quality of life for communities of boardriders across the world by supporting environmental, educational, health and youth-related projects. The Quiksilver Foundation is a long-standing supporter of SAS’s educational programme, so please do take a moment to check out all the projects they are involved with – http://the-quiksilver-initiative.com/Foundation

For more information please contact Dom Ferris, SAS Campaign & Education Officer, 01872 553 001 or dom@sas.org.uk

For more information on Surfers Against Sewage campaigns and environmental initiatives please visit www.sas.org.uk

To think all of this was shot in Portugal, only 2 hours away on a plane from the UK. Makes you want to get the hell down there!!

TBYF is an award winning SAS campaign raising public awareness on the problems that sanitary products (known in the business as Sewage Related Debris or SRD’s) cause in the sewage system and subsequently the marine environment after they are flushed down the toilet.  Porthleven, the popular Cornish harbour town, had previously suffered from a serious SRD related sewage spill in August 2011.

SAS believe Porthleven as earned the right to become the first TBYF Town.  Over 65 local businesses are supporting the TBYF initiative and will be placing TBYF posters, stickers and information leaflets prominently in their premises.  SAS have welcomed the backing from the both the Porthleven Town council and Cornwall Council and delivered an entertaining and engaging talk on TBYF at Porthleven school.   The entire Porthleven community is 100% behind this positive campaign recognising the link between the toilet and the beach and ready to lead the country with their increased awareness around the impacts of SRD’s and promoted the necessary behavioural changes to flushing habits!  Now the community are behind this important campaign Porthleven can take control over protecting their bathing waters and ensure sewage spills related to the flushing of sanitary items no longer impacts their waters again.  Through the support of County Hall, this material will also be displayed in public conveniences throughout Cornwall with the aim that TBYF is then rolled out nationally, an action that will be aided through sponsorship from the Environment Agency and support from Keep Britain Tidy, Visit Cornwall and the Porthleven Town Council.

Director of Visit Cornwall, Malcolm Bell had this to say “Our coast and beaches are our greatest assets and ones that are truly treasured by 4 million visitors a year.  Your help in reducing unwanted and unsightly sanitary waste on our beaches by promoting the ‘Think Before You Flush’ campaign is vital to our future success so please help us get the message through.”

On 26th August  2011, Porthleven, one of the Southwest’s premier  tourist destinations and home to arguably one of the best surfing breaks in the country was hit with a 20 hour sewage overflow directly as a result of a local pump becoming clogged with sanitary waste.   It was a beautiful sunny day with great waves meaning many surfers, swimmers and beach users were potentially putting their health at risk.  Supporting SAS on this important campaign is Alan Stokes, one of the UK’s most high profile surfers, who is keen to help keep one of his favourite waves clean and spread the TBYF message.  Alan Stokes says:  “Our beaches are precious to many of us.  And Porthleven, with it’s great waves is extra special to the surfing community.   We can all make small changes in our behaviour to better protect our beaches from raw sewage discharges and prevent unsightly sanitary waste washing up on the next tideline.  Simply think before you flush, and never use the toilet to dispose of sanitary products.”

It is estimated that over 2 billion sanitary items are flushed down the toilet every year in the UK.  Unfortunately many people are mistakenly using their toilets as ‘wet bins’ to dispose of items such as wet wipes, cotton buds, sanitary towels, condoms and even razor blades.  The flushing of such items has a number of serious and far reaching effects, firstly larger items cause further pressure and blockages within the already overburdened sewage system. This results in a reduction of flow, the sewage effluent backs up and then overflows causing marine and freshwater pollution incidents contributing to the growing problem of marine litter on our beaches and near shore areas.  Not only is SRDs is extremely unsightly, these items can also carry harmful bacteria posing potentially significant health threat to all beach users and water sports enthusiasts.  Wildlife is also at danger through ingestion and entanglement and whilst some of these items may eventually break down, many SRD items are plastic, and could remain in the marine environment for thousands of years.

The TBYF message is simple, the only things that should ever be flushed down a toilet are those that have passed through your own body and the paper you use to wipe your behind!  Anything else is helping to destroy our precious marine environment and can cause serious health risks.  Increased awareness and simple behavioural change can make a monumental difference.  Think Before You Flush !!

EA, Environmental Monitoring Team Leader, Claudine Fontier says:  “The majority of sewers in England and Wales are “combined sewers” and carry both sewage and surface water from roofs and drains. A storm overflow operates during heavy rainfall when the sewerage system becomes overwhelmed by the amount of surface water. The overflow prevents sewage from backing up pipes and flooding properties and gardens. An emergency overflow will only operate infrequently, for example due to pump failure or blockage in the sewerage system.

There are emergency/storm overflows from the pumping stations at Porthleven Harbour, Breageside, and Harbour Tank. If the sewerage system becomes blocked by sewage related debris the operation of these overflows can lead to a drop in bathing water quality at Porthleven.  We are pleased to be able to support the TBYF campaign to ensure a reduction in sanitary waste disposal into the sewerage system which in turn will improve local bathing water quality at Porthleven .”

SAS intern and Porthleven resident Chris Betty has been coordinating the campaign has been extremely pleased with the business and community support stating that “Porthleven is now in position as a national leader in becoming the first town to implement sustainable achievable solutions in the management of their sewage systems to create and maintain clean and healthy nearshore waters and beaches.   It is hoped that the success of this campaign in a prolific area will permeate and increase general awareness on the subject of SRDs, encouraging many other towns to follow”

The Melbourne four-piece made a breakthrough at odds with the flash-in-the-pan nature of rock’s revolving door, resulting in a Brit nomination for International Breakthrough Artist and two sell-out UK tours including a trio of shows at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire. ‘Sweet Disposition’ may have been their not-so-secret weapon, but they backed it up with an album of nuanced epic-pop perfection and a work ethic that would mean they wouldn’t see their own beds for the best part of three years.

Dougy Mandagi (vocals, guitar), Lorenzo Sillitto (guitar), Jonny Aherne (bass) and Toby Dundas (drums) had barely relocated from Melbourne to London when they made a tourbus their home-from-home. They’d arrived in 2009 as a band wet behind the ears but armed with songs fit to headline festivals and an ambition that was keen on getting them there. Having recorded ‘Conditions’ with Arctic Monkeys producer Jim Abbiss, their debut was released in August 2009 and what followed was an extensive period of intensive, relentless touring that only ended at the beginning of 2011. If they’d pitched up in the English capital as relative novices, come the end of the year, they’d most definitely found their feet.

And so, it was in these triumphant circumstances that The Temper Trap, now bolstered to a five-piece with the permanent addition of Joseph Greer on keyboards, reconvened after a shorter-than-expected holiday to begin work on their second album. Situated in their adopted home of Hackney, the band approached the writing sessions much as they did their debut, “sitting there and nutting things out,” as Sillitto puts it.

Whilst the majority of these songs ingrain themselves upon you with repeated listens, there is one that will stand out from the off. ‘London’s Burning’ was written in the aftermath of last summer’s riots as Mandagi struggled to deal with what he’d watched unfold outside his flat on Mare Street. “It was bizarre,” he says, “but it was such a significant moment than I just had to write about it.” Again, their playful contrariness comes into focus – it’s subject matter might be dark and devious, but London’s Burning’s sounds like The Clash soundtracking a glam rock musical.

‘The Temper Trap’ is an intriguing listen. It’s a snapshot of a band blossoming, their songs matching their own skyscraping expectations. “I’m an ambitious person,” says Dougy. “I want this album to be bigger, and I want the record to do well, I don’t want just one or two songs to do well, I want people to realise we’re capable of making records.” Rest assured, the penny is about to drop and you can withness their majesty in the flesh at the Princess Pavilion on Wednesday 9 May.

Support on the night to be announced.

Tickets are available from www.seetickets.com 0844 9959654 or Falmouth from Princess Pavilion box office 01326 211222

To celebrate the relaunch of The Surf Directory, here’s a competition for you to enter.

The Surf Directory
If you’re thinking of going on a road trip this easter then check out The Surf Directory. The one stop shop to surfing in the UK and Ireland has had a facelift so it’s now even easier to use with lots of new interactive maps and cool stuff.

It’s the UK’s premier guide to beaches and surf spots in the UK and Ireland, along with surf shops, accommodation, restaurants and cafes, and is now more interactive than ever. A new interactive map at each beach and surf town will also now help you to pinpoint locations. Plus there’s a new rating and reviewing system so that when you visit surf shops, cafes and bars, you can write reviews and rate your experiences on the site. And there’s more social networking interaction to make it easier to use, lots of cool videos to have a look at, and a new international section too. So if you’re looking to eat, sleep and surf in the UK go and take a look at www.thesurfdirectory.co.uk.

To celebrate the relaunch of The Surf Directory, here’s a competition for you to enter. Simply go to The Surf Directory facebook page http://www.facebook.com/thesurfdirectory and tell us the name of the break you see in the photo. The winner will win a Carve subscription. We will randomly pick the winner on Friday 13th.

Even if you aren’t looking to buy a new board, this is a really good chance to try a whole range of boards and see what you like. There will be the epic Damian Prisk board, the brand new MS 11 Ltd, the Rigby models and the rest of the Science range (click here to check them out: http://www.bodyboard-depot.com/1e/SCIENCE/0_CAAA031_CAAA015)

Also you will get the chance to meet the UK Science team comprising of British Tour Champ Damian Prisk, Ex British champion Bjorn Storey and Under 16 champ Sam Brabyn.

This event is totally free, so just call 01637 879571 or email info@newquayactivitycentre.co.uk to book your place (it is essential to book in advance).

There will also be a Bodyboard Coaching mini break at Rob Barber’s Bodyboarding-School over the bank holiday weekend, more info here: http://www.robbarber.com/april-mini-break.html

See you there!

• All events will have Open, DK & Women’s divisions.  The Porthtowan event will also host the British Nationals age divisions.
• All events will score a maximum of 500 ranking points; see the BBC website for full points score details.
• Competitors can drop a maximum of their 2 lowest scoring results, so in the event that all 6 events run your top 4 scores will count; if only 4 or 5 events run then the top 3 scores will count.
• An all-surf-twice format will be run where time, conditions and entry numbers allow.  Failing which the conventional knock-out format will apply.
• Top 8 finishers in the Open division automatically qualify for next years tour.
• The schedule is subject to amendment depending on conditions and beach permission.
• Eligibility criteria for competing on the Tour can be found on the BBC website.