Anti Pollution Pirates

Five years ago, myself and my partner Matt walked along this stretch of coastline and experienced a moment of disbelief, that even here, in a place that feels so remote, and cut off from houses, roads, and normal town infrastructure, the beach was covered in rubbish - rope, plastic, crates, bottles - everything you could think of. Back then we didn’t have the time or means to do anything substantial, but it stayed with us.
So this project grew from that memory. We wanted to go back, to do something, and for me, having a camera in my hand is simply an extension of how I understand the world. In the same way someone might write down what they see, my instinct is to capture it and to look at things through the lens so I can really notice them. We knew we needed help and so gathered together a small group of friends - creatives, and adventurers, people who care about our natural places and want to look after them, even in the quieter, and more unspectacular ways.
The idea was simple: one beach, one weekend. We knew we wouldn’t fix the problem, but we could show up, and get stuck in, and do it again, and again, slowly chipping away. We spoke to one of the locals who explained to us how the sheer volume of waste that gets washed up daily means that although they do their own beach cleans - it’s a near impossible task to stay on top of it. We were incredibly indebted to them for boating out the rubbish at the end of the beach clean so that removed the extra logistical challenge for us.
For us, this trip is the beginning of an ongoing project. Each year we plan to find a new remote beach somewhere along the British coast - and hike in, camp out, and clean what we can. It’s not about perfection, otherwise the idea of starting is too daunting, and it isn’t about preaching, because I for one am far from perfect and I don’t think anything good comes from preaching. For us it is more about our community and leaving things better than we find - environmental action can live side by side with joy, adventure and creativity.
We partnered with VOITED because their values mirror our own, and it is a company full of people who really believe in leaving our natural world better than we find it. They make gear that helps people connect to nature, and protect it, and they believe in the incredible power of community. When we first met the people from Voited it was that sense of community that really stuck with us - they have built something that feels meaningful and we are proud to be a small part of that with this project.
Their invaluable support kept us warm, dry, and able to do the work comfortably in the kind of weather that Scotland loves to throw at you. More than that, they understood why we wanted to tell this story, and they trusted us to do it authentically. And supported us every step of the way.
We’re incredibly grateful for that trust, and for everyone who gave their time, their hands, and their hearts to this project.
Special thanks to Ortlieb who provided bags suitable for collecting the waste.