News

Sandgate Litter Picking Kits now available from outside the Library.

Fancy some exercise or an activity with your children or grandchildren that will also help your village? Then why not do some litter picking to help keep our village, sea and beaches litter free.

Sandgate Parish Council have provided Sandgate litter picking kits, which are now available to borrow from outside of the library. Inside the chest are litter pickers, hoops, bags and gloves. There are 20 pickers in total so it is perfect for a group activity.

All you need is the code to unlock the storage box which you can get from emailing sandgateenvironmentalaction@gmail.com or from the library staff during library open hours. Then sign it out in the notebook provided and off you go. When you’ve finished, just return the equipment to the box and sign it back in.

What to do with the full litter bags?

• Leave by a council public bin and they will be collected by the council;
• If you could separate the recycling and take it home in a separate bag that would be brilliant;
• If you are really keen 😊 Surfers Against Sewage are running a campaign where they are asking volunteers to sort and enter data about what they collect. For more details got to Surfers Against Sewage Million Mile Clean

A couple of unfun litter facts…

• A crisp packet can take up to 80 to 100 years to decompose

•  ‘Only Rain Down the Drain’ Litter or other pollutants that wash down drains in the streets go straight into a local watercourse or directly out the overflow pipes onto the beach or into the sea. That’s one of the many reasons it’s so important to keep Sandgate litter free.

We’d love to know how you got on with your Sandgate litter picking kit so take a photo of your activity or filled bags and email it to sandgateenvironmentalaction@gmail.com or to the Sandgate Parish Clerk.

Sandgate beach has been named as one of country’s best beaches by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, winning the Seaside Award – for the TENTH years running!

Sandgate’s award places it amongst the country’s very best beaches, from popular holiday spots to quiet, more hidden-away spots. What unites them is knowing that they are clean, safe and meet the highest environmental standards, as well as bathing water quality standards.

Tim Prater, Chairman of Sandgate Parish Council, said:

“Just 128 beaches in England have won the Seaside Award this year There were just 24 in the South East region. We have so many reasons to be proud that Sandgate Beach has won the Seaside Award for the TENTH year running.

“It’s totally a team effort. Residents and businesses play their part in keeping the beach tidy. Facilities are provided by and signposted by the Parish Council and others. Councillors and non-Councillors work as a team to apply year after year. The District Council and Veolia collect waste and empty the seafront bins. it just wouldn’t happen without all of them, and it is something we should celebrate together.

“Special thanks also goes to former Councillor Nabin Siwa who has led our bid for the last few years.”

Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy announced the winners of Blue Flag and Seaside Awards for 2023. 128 beaches in England have received a Seaside Award, and 77 have achieved Blue Flag status.

The international Blue Flag and UK Seaside Awards are quality marks for our beaches. Visitors can be sure that they are clean, safe and meet the highest environmental standards, and bathing water quality standards.

Both as good practice and to ensure we meet the terms of our public liability insurance, Sandgate Parish Council have an annual Tree Inspection Report undertaken in the areas we manage with trees (Sandgate Park and Fremantle Park).

The 2023 Inspection of both areas is now complete, and the reports are below.

As you’ll see, there are works recommended to a number of trees, some as “Priority 2” (do them within the next couple of months) and some “Priority 3” (do them in about the next 6 months).

The Parish Council clearly need to make sure the Priority 2 works are done soon. They have been commissioned from qualified contractors. Those contractors will, of course, pay due regard to checking for and avoiding and nesting birds. The Priority 3 works we’ve asked them to schedule outside the nesting season, despite there being a little extra cost in doing so.

So if you see works to trees in those areas over the next couple of months, that’s the reason – they are required for safety. Removed trees (and there are a few) will be replaced in due course where possible.