Press release: Thursday 8th February 2018

The Futures Forum of the Vision Group for Sidmouth will be holding a meeting open to all later this month to facilitate the bringing about of a ‘Plastic Free Sidmouth’.

This follows in the wake of several key campaigns in the Sid Valley, including the beach cleans by Sidmouth in Bloom’s Sidcombers, Surfers Against Sewage and the Sidmouth Plastic Warriors.

All of these groups are concerned about the amount of plastic making its way into our seas – and the devastating effect it has had, as seen on the BBC’s Blue Planet.

Denise Bickley of the Plastic Warriors has also been at the forefront of an on-line petition to ‘Make Sidmouth a single-use-plastic-free town’ at Change.org.

As for their part, the Town Council is going to be installing water fountains, and more businesses are looking at their use of plastic – including offering a free refill of water bottles.

And in Penzance, Surfers Against Sewage have been pioneering an ‘action plan’ for towns who want to go ‘plastic free’ with their Plastic Free Coastlines community toolkit.

On Thursday 22nd February there will be a public meeting to look at how Sidmouth could take a plastic free project forward – starting 7pm at the Leigh Browne Room of the Dissenters’/Unitarian Church Hall, opposite the Hospital.

It will be hosted by the Futures Forum of the Vision Group for Sidmouth and will be chaired by Robert Crick.

“Plastic waste on our beaches has doubled over the last decade”, he says. “Other towns have initiated town wide schemes to reduce plastic. Could this be an initiative for Sidmouth to adopt?”

Meanwhile, the Plastic Warriors will be having another plastic clean up on Saturday 17th February around the Woolbrook area, starting and finishing at the Youth Centre, 2 to 3pm: join the group on Facebook.

Their group’s founder Denise Bickley says: “We have lots of big ideas in the Sidmouth Plastic Warriors group and are keen to discuss the way forward at the public meeting on the 22nd.”

Anyone interested in a ‘plastic free Sidmouth’ is welcome to come along.