Plastic Free New Quay – for a safer, cleaner environment
Plastic Free New Quay is a fantastic organisation that we are excited to
promote here at Cool Coastal Lets. Set up late last year, the cause’s aim is to
‘fight plastic pollution in and around New Quay’. They do this by raising
awareness of the dangers of pollution, organising litter-picking events and
promoting their message on their Facebook pages.
The issue of environmental conservation, especially concerning the usage and disposal of plastics, came to the forefront of the
mainstream media, when the damage and cost caused by plastic straw consumption
became known. Statistics reveal that 71% of seabirds and around 30% of turtles
in the ocean have been found with plastic in their stomachs, according to strawlessocean.org.
Additionally, and rather pertinent the issue of coastal environmental
preservation, about 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans each
year, and straws contribute a lot to that figure, featuring in the top 10 items
found in coastal clean-ups, according to the Marine Conservation Society.
Recently, the Environment Secretary Michael Gove has suggested that plastic
straws could be banned in Britain. Additionally, in January, Theresa May stated
she wanted to eliminate all avoidable plastic within 25 years.
If you want to get involved with Plastic Free New Quay and their cause, visit
their Facebook page. Image credit: Bea Chater
RNLI Lifeboat Discontinuation Controversy
Brought to The House of Commons
It has emerged that on the 14th February, the local controversy surrounding
the axing of New Quay RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat was brought to the House of
Commons, by the Member of Parliament representing Ceredigion, Ben Lake.
The controversial issue deals with the fact that the RNLI have taken the
decision not to renew the all-weather lifeboat for another service in the New
Quay area, and instead have chosen to replace the
existing vessel with a much smaller one, that is not able to travel as far as
the previous vessel and in lesser conditions, at a cost of £214,000. Needless
to say, a large group of campaigning residents have criticised this decision.
The chairman of the Ceredigion Lifeboat Campaign, Richard Taylor, stated that
it was a "poorly considered decision that cannot go unchallenged".
The motion brought forward in favour of the RNLI lifeboat to not be scrapped
was supported in the House of Commons by a cross-party group of Welsh MPs,
including Liz Saville Roberts, Jonathan Edwards, and David Davies. Importantly,
the motion has also received the support of MPs of all major parties.
Among other concerns, the motion stated: “That this House commends the staff
and volunteers of the RNLI for their life-saving work around the coat and at
sea; is disappointed by the decision to downgrade the all-weather lifeboat
provision at New Quay; is concerned that this decision is contrary to the
RNLI’s core objective and principles…”. It is clear therefore that the board
members and staff at RNLI will now have to reconsider or at least approach this
issue from a new, fresh perspective.
Remember that you can still support the Ceredigion Lifeboat Campaign by
signing their petition, which has now grown to almost 20,000 signatures – see
our previous post for more details.
New Quay’s
all-weather lifeboat – an important asset, under threat
An all-weather
lifeboat belonging to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution has come under
threat of discontinuation, after the RNLI has decided that it will not replace
the existing boat when its operational life comes to an end in 2020, leaving
just the smaller inshore lifeboat to supply any aid to the area.
This decision has
caused much controversy throughout the county of Ceredigion, as petition to
retain the lifeboat in New Quay has garnered almost 20,000 signatures as of
February (sign the petition for yourself, here:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/…/save-the-shannon-class-lifeb…).
Various volunteers
that work with the RNLI have expressed their concern with the discontinuation
of the essential lifeboat in New Quay, an area which has been served by an
all-weather lifeboat of some form for 153 years. According to an image of a
sign posted to social media, as of December 2015, the lifeboat had saved 349
lives, throughout 982 services. The future fate of
the lifeboat remains to be seen, but the residents of New Quay are continuing
to kick up a storm regarding this pressing matter.
For more information
about the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, and how you can get involved in
the campaign to save the lifeboat, visit the campaign’s Facebook page at
https://en-gb.facebook.com/CeredigionLifeboatCampaign/, or sign the above
petition.
Waste and Wildlife: A Growing Problem in Cardigan Bay
Cardigan
Bay, the
largest bay in Wales, is
home to many different types of wildlife, including a unique marine
life. From
the Ceredigion Coastal Path, it is often possible to catch a glimpse
of the Bay's 'Big Three' species of harbour
porpoise,
grey
seals,and
bottlenose
dolphins,
of which the Bay has the largest population in the UK. Other mammals,
such as minke
whales,
common
dolphins,
together with many species of sea birds, such as puffin,
can
also be seen.
Despite
this beautiful wildlife, the rise of waste plastics being washed up
onto the beaches of Cardigan Bay continue to pose a threat to their
existence. The
Cardigan
Bay Special Area of Conservation taskforce
was
set up and appointed by
theEuropean
Union to
protect a variety of important species and habitat within
the area from the growing threat of human pollution. The
aim of the SAC is to maintain its rich and varied marine life in at
least as good a condition as when the site was first designated, and
particular
attention is paid to ensuring that human activities carried out in
the area are done so sustainably. However,
it can be questioned whether the aims of the Cardigan Bay initiative
are being met.
It
is important to realise the full beauty of Cardigan Bay and make
efforts to preserve it's natural, clean state. The following video
was produced by a young local man,
Gabe Heard, who frequents
New
Quay. It highlights the serene and picturesque nature of the Bay.
