Scotland’s largest train operator is throwing its weight behind a summer campaign to keep beaches litter free and improve the water quality of the sea.
ScotRail is teaming up with Keep Scotland Beautiful to promote ‘My Beach Your Beach,’ aimed at the thousands of day-trippers who will travel by train to Ayrshire’s beaches this summer.
The exodus to the coast has been enjoyed by generations of Glaswegians who swapped the city smog for sea air and the traditional getaway is likely to remain popular this year as staycations become the pandemic holiday of choice.
The train operator is urging customers to respect and enjoy the sun, sand and sea during the school holidays and Glasgow Fair this summer and it’s reminding passengers by hanging banners at key locations along its Stranraer Line route.
‘My Beach Your Beach’ encourages everyone to take better care of beaches and supports efforts to improve bathing water quality. The Ayrshire beaches which are part of the campaign include Ayr, Troon, Irvine and Saltcoats / Ardrossan.
The campaign is funded by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and is being led by Keep Scotland Beautiful.
The targeted beaches have all faced challenges in improving water quality as measured by SEPA, and research has confirmed a link between what people leave behind them on beaches and the cleanliness of the seawater.
James Ledgerwood, ScotRail Head of Economic & Community Development, said:
“We are proud to support the My Beach Your Beach campaign, which will raise awareness about what people can do to protect our beaches.
“With staycations becoming more popular we all have a responsibility to look after our environment.
“Simple things like putting rubbish into bins, or taking it home, making sure dog poo is picked up and not feeding sea birds will go a long way to keeping Scotland’s beaches beautiful.”