I've raised £5000 to make a large fish sculpture recycling bin for plastic bottles and cans, to live by the seafront in Bournemouth Christchurch Poole.

Organised by Final Straw Solent

Story

Our beaches - the jewel in the crown along our stunning Jurassic Coastline. Sadly, we have been seeing a huge amount of litter left on our beautiful Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole shores. Not only is this unsightly, it is also damaging to our wildlife and environment. Much of the litter that is left behind is single-use plastic drinks bottles and cans.

In July 2020, We Have the POWER, Plastic Free Bournemouth and BCP Council came together to borrow 'Nellie', the stunning fish sculpture bin used to collect plastic bottles and aluminium cans for recycling, from the Final Straw Solent, based just up the coast in Emsworth, Hampshire. Nellie the fish could only stay for a month, as she moves all along the coast to raise awareness of the impact of plastic pollution on our environment and wildlife. However, she garnered a lot of interest and support during her stay in Bournemouth and we are incredibly keen to commission our very own "Nellie' to be a permanent fixture in Bournemouth Christchurch Poole (BCP).

Nellie was made by the team at Sailboat Trailers, Emsworth, from scrap metal. They used their considerable talents to create her from old trailers, warehouse clothing cages, bits of vehicle and more. They are primed and ready to create a new 'Nellie' for BCP. This is where we need your help! We need to raise £5,000 to make the new fish.

The benefits of having a fantastic, useful sculpture like this are many. Not only is it a practical way of collecting single-use plastic bottles and cans for recycling, but it really draws attention to the volume of litter that we are creating. It encourages people to use reusable bottles and food containers, moving away from our current throwaway culture. It is a great way of engaging the younger generation, and can be a focal point for schools to come and visit while learning about the impact of plastic pollution on the environment. And, let's face it, it looks brilliant!

So can you help us? Any donation will help, we are incredibly grateful for your support - let's work together to keep our beaches cleaner and foster that important connection with our environment. Thank you!