Dawlish Against Plastic was formed in March 2018.  We are a  member of Community Action Groups Devon . Our current Steering Group members are: Vanessa Ryley (Chairman), Brenda Toye (Treasurer), Dave Hutton (Vice-Chair), Martin Wrigley (Dawlish Town, Teignbridge District, and Devon County Councillor), Lin Goodman-Bradbury (Dawlish Town & Teignbridge Councillor), Steve Templeman and Pam Jones.

We are supported by our volunteers who join our beach cleans and town litter picks and a wider group of followers on social media.

Our annual report for the year Apr 22 - Mar 23 is as follows:

• Dawlish Against Plastic is emerging from the difficult times created by the pandemic and has attracted 2 new members to the Steering group, Steve Templeman and Pam Jones. Unfortunately, Suzanne Jones stepped down due to other commitments, but has been instrumental in helping us to formulate this year’s Action Plan.

•  Work with local independent businesses to help them to achieve Plastic Free Status awarded by Surfers Against Sewage continues. Two new food businesses are due to receive awards but due to changes in technology set up it has not been possible to refer them to SAS for consideration yet. They will be submitted as soon as possible as SAS changes are now complete.

•  Our thanks go to Katherine Dawson who continues in the role of Young People’s Ambassador, but we recognise that she now needs more encouragement from us to fire her enthusiasm.

•  Dave and Vanessa visited The Secret Garden Day Nursery and spoke to a group of 4-year-olds about single use plastic. Some of the children were remarkably knowledgeable. The nursery has signed up to the SAS Plastic Free Schools project so we also talked to the owner about how we may be able to assist them in reaching their targets.

•  Work to encourage the use of coffee refill cups in the town is largely completed but it is planned to revisit businesses to obtain feedback on the impact of the project. Posters encouraging people to bring their own cups by offering a discount seem to have had limited use, so this may need further work and conversation with businesses.

• The ‘Turn the Tide’ festival took place Thursday 2nd June 2022.  Vanessa and Rosie Dawson successfully engaged all local primary schools, Orchard Manor School, Red Rock Youth Club and Dawlish Brownies in ‘Love Your Seaside’ themed artwork to provide bunting for the marquee during the Queen’s Jubilee Celebrations. The bunting was then transferred to the library where it remained for the summer.

•  We were able to participate in the Carnival by having a stall and by joining the parade with umbrellas decorated with plastic waste. We carried placards declaring anti-plastic slogans.

• We also participated in Turn the Tide, the Christmas market and Westcliffe summer fete with our stall selling goods that offer alternatives to plastic.

•  DAP was invited to have an information stall and speak at the Teign Estuary Partnership forum. This was a good opportunity to spread the word a little further.

• We continue to supply data to Surfers Against Sewage so that our Plastic Free Community status is maintained, and Dawlish remains an active community on their website.

• We also supply data to Community Action Groups, Devon which funds the insurance for our activities.

• During the year 2022-23 we have recorded attendance at 70 events, either as volunteers or organisers.

• Our beach cleans have collected 28 kgs of recyclable materials and 161kgs of non-recyclable materials.

• Since March 2019, when we started weighing, we have removed a total of over 725kgs of waste from local beaches.

• The total value of our volunteer time this year is calculated by CAG as £9610.30

• We have been involved with a young person who has attended our beach cleans with her mother as part of her Duke of Edinburgh’s award, both bronze and silver.

•  There have been 9 town litter picks this year. Some volunteers keep equipment at home and continue to bring the waste they collect to the Manor House for weighing and pick up. The total waste collected was 268kgs. Unfortunately, Rosie Dawson has had to give up her role as litter pick co-ordinator due to the pressure of other commitments. Our thanks go to her and her family for keeping this important activity going. Steve Templeman has agreed to take over the role.

• The town clerk contacted DAP via email with a resident’s concern that plastic in Dawlish Warren sea defences was beginning to break up and cause pollution. Dave took photographs of the problem and wrote an accompanying report. Vanessa and Dave have engaged with the Environment Agency via email but despite several emails in both directions there seems to be no progress at the present time.

• Dave and Vanessa have continued to attend meetings of the Climate Declaration Working Group hosted by Dawlish Town Council. Our commitment will continue into the new council term.

• Closer links with other groups have been developed. Dawlish Fairtrade Friends suggested a cloth bag should be produced for sale. Dave Hutton approached Sustainable Dawlish after DAP steering group approval. He has now submitted the final design and placed an order. The logos from all three groups are featured.

•  Vanessa has attended Dawlish Fairtrade meetings and Dave has attended Sustainable Dawlish meetings.

• SAS has developed a Town Twinning project, designed to support towns working on achieving Plastic Free Status. Dawlish was twinned with Axminster and Vanessa has supported them to achieve their PFC status which has very recently been awarded.

• The Dawlish Gazette contacted us to ask if they could cover our April beach clean. In the event neither the reporter nor the photographer was able to attend, so Dave submitted his own photographs and a story, which Vanessa added to after a request from the Gazette reporter. A group photograph was featured on the front page of the 6th of April edition and the story and further photographs were featured on page 4 of the paper.

• Looking forward, we have been asked to work with the Scouts, give a talk to a Bishopsteignton ladies group, take part with our stall in Turn the Tide, and have an information stall at the Refreshers Fair during the Coronation weekend.

• Finally, we are known some distance away. A lady said that she had heard of us during an event she attended in Buckfastleigh.

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