PLAYA FAMARA CLEANUP

The zoco crew were surfing at Playa Famara in Lanzarote, we paddled out and it was just a perfect session with glassy shoulder high surf and glorious sunshine. But while walking up the beach back to the village we noticed the terrible state of the beach above the high tide mark and this kinda put a damper on the whole experience. We decided then and there to do something about it.

We rounded up some kids from the Colegio Yaiza junior school and along with the offers of help from their parents and a couple of friends, we had assembled a willing cleanup crew.

OCTOBER 12TH - THE BIG DAY

Everyone drove in convoy up to Famara beach and although the weather the day before had been hot and sunny, this morning was overcast and quite cool, there was an ominous black cloud over the 'Riscos de Famara' (cliffs) and it even looked like we were in for some rain. This did nothing to dampen the spirits of the kids though, and they were full of beans and ready to charge the beach.

Before we start
One of the crew explained that they would need to wear gloves and that rocks and stones, seaweed, shells and bits of drift wood were not 'rubbish' and should be left on the beach. We explained the dangers that plastic bags, fishing tackle and plastic six pack holders pose to marine life and were glad to see how well this was understood by the kids and how appalled they were by the state of the beach.

And they're off...
This was great, the enthusiasm and energy with which these kids tackled the beach was just amazing, we were so proud of them, they worked so hard and really made a visible difference to the area of beach we'd chosen for our project.

The blue plastic mountain
In true lanzarotean style, by lunch time the clouds had vanished, the sun was out in full force and it was getting very warm. Our cleanup crews had collected 12 big, blue, bin bags full of glass, plastic bags, underwear, bottles, crates, bottle tops, diving lights, tin cans, paper, light bulbs (including a couple of florescent tubes!) and a seeming endless amout of cigarettes and nylon cord. The pile of bags were taller than most of the kids and they were exhausted.

The fun stuff
We had a great beach picnic afterward and made sure to impress on the kids that when you're enjoying a picnic on the beach it is vitally important to remember to put your rubbish in a proper bin or, failing that, bag it and take it home with you. The kids and volunteers all ate very well, it seems the fresh air and exercise had helped their appetites.

After lunch we built sand castles, sculpted cars and mermaids, swam and lay in the sun. One of the Zoco crew introduced a couple of the kids to surfing and bodyboarding (and they took to it like fish to water). Some of the kids were more nervous than others but all of them caught a few waves and experienced the thrill of riding a wave to shore. After an afternoon of fun and games, we carried the bags to the collection point, packed up our stuff and headed for home.

Thanks
The response we got from people on the beach, the parents involved and the kids themselves has prompted us to make this an annual event. Next year will be bigger and better and hopefully in some small way, by involving kids from local schools, we can 'educate' the next generation to respect the beach and their natural environment.

The Zoco Crew would like to thank everyone who helped make this day so much fun and for all their hard work:

The kids from Colegio Yaiza Nadine Lauren Emma Jessica Suzy Blue Daniella Kai Jaime Paisley

The 'adults' Victoria Claudette Tom Paul René Vicky Carmen

See you all next year ;-).

THE GALLERY

I promised the kids we'd put some of the pics up on the internet so they could show their friends and family. So, here you are guys, this is YOUR gallery. I have included pics of the cleanup, the picnic, fun on the beach and of course the surfing.

Also a thanks to the terrors of Yaiza, Kai & Jaime for the awsome 'Keep Famara Clean' sign below. Not only is it made from environmentally friendly materials ;-) but the Zoco logo is great, perhaps we'll use it for our next newsletter.

To view the gallery simply click on the photo below or on this link: Zoco Famara Cleanup Gallery.