Leave Only Footprints was devised in 2018 with the intention of encouraging locals and visitors in Bournemouth & Poole to clear up after their day at the seaside by putting rubbish in the bins provided, aiming to be more environmentally aware.
To continue momentum, Leave Only Footprints is embarking on a new project, the Beach Toy Library Box. Working with Plastic Free Bournemouth, the BCP seafront beach cleansing teams have been collecting toys over the past few weeks to fill the boxes that can be re-used by future avid beach goers.
The scheme, launching 16 August, has been trialled with local eatery Urban Reef in Boscombe with great feedback, the success of this has resulted in rolling out the scheme along the seafront.
Visitors are encouraged to return the toys back to the library box once they leave the beach, so they can be enjoyed time and time again. The wooden boxes, which are recycled wine crates, will be located at beach offices from Sandbanks to Southbourne and will be out for visitors to use between 9am and 5.30pm daily.
The seafront rangers will be responsible for putting out the boxes and taking them in each day, they will also be checking the condition of all the toys ensuring they are safe to be used.
Andrew Brown, Seafront Operations Manager said: “We are very excited to be launching the beach toy library box scheme along our seafront in Bournemouth & Poole. It’s amazing how many toys get left at the beach, so it only makes sense for us and the environment to make good use of them!
“With the scheme already underway at Urban Reef, we are sure the toy library boxes will be very popular during the last few weeks of the summer holidays.”
More information about the beach toy library box scheme can be found on Plastic Free Bournemouth’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/plasticfreebournemouth/
For further information, please contact Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Tourism PR Team.
[email protected] or call 01202 451750.
