Saundersfoot Rotary and volunteers embarked on a clearance of the seaside village and coastline recently, collecting over 71 kilos of litter!

On Sunday, March 22, Saundersfoot Rotarians and friends joined forces with these dedicated groups, alongside a fantastic turnout of community-minded volunteers, for three coordinated litter picks across the village and its beautiful coastline.

Ecoast Pembrokeshire the local ‘Keep Wales Tidy’ hub situated in the seaside village got three cleans going for a ‘Spring Clean Cymru’.

The day began bright and early at 7am, when three ‘early-bird heroes’ collected an impressive 27 kilos of litter along Ridgeway, Fan Road, Pentlepoir junction, and down past St Issell’s Church and Church Terrace.

One participant summed up the experience as: “Great walk and talk today, really enjoyed. Team effort.”

At 9am, nine ‘legends’ took to the village centre, collecting 25.3 kilos of waste, including 4.6 kilos from the car park opposite the arcade and 2.5 kilos from around the MUGA. Volunteers stopped counting after reaching 100 cigarette butts, highlighting the scale of the challenge.

The final session at 11.30am saw an incredible turnout of 31 ‘warriors’ who completed a beach clean from Back Beach to Coppet, gathering 19.6 kilos of litter.

The group included local residents, first-time volunteers, visiting holidaymakers, and members of Saundersfoot Rotary, easily recognisable in their trademark blue and bringing their usual energy and enthusiasm to the effort.

In total, an impressive 71.9 kilos of litter was removed from the local environment in a single day - an achievement that reflects the power of community collaboration.

Special thanks were extended to Saundersfoot Sailing Club for generously providing refreshments after the first two clean-up sessions.

Among the more unusual items collected was a star-shaped wheeled base, possibly from an office chair or perhaps a mystery contraption, adding a touch of intrigue to the day’s efforts.

Another notable find from the day, according to Julie Davies from the seaside volunteers the ‘Wombles’ was an unidentified skull.

“Investigations are ongoing, but rumours are rife that we may have found a Womble. Orinoco, is that you?!” she joked!

Saundersfoot Rotary would like to extend a heartfelt ‘diolch’ to everyone who took part. Their dedication and community spirit continue to make a real difference, helping to ensure that Saundersfoot remains a place everyone can be proud of.

Another milestone moment arrived in the village during March, when after days of waiting for the wind and rain to ease, the moment arrived when volunteers emptied the ‘Butt Bin’ outside the Hean Inn and counted them!

Julie Davies revealed: “There were 648 cigarette butts! That's six hundred and forty eight toxic little plastic pieces that never made it onto our pavements, roads, flowerpots, Sensory Garden, beach, or into the sea!

“Every single butt in that bin is a win - for our community, for wildlife, and for the environment.

“So a massive, heartfelt thank you to everyone who used it. You're making a real difference, one butt at a time.