Three Donegal Clean Coasts Groups have won awards at the 2023 Ocean Hero Awards.
Clean Coasts celebrate groups and individuals who made a difference for our marine environment this year, with Falcarragh Clean Coasts Group, North West Home Education Group and Friends of Rossnowlagh winning prizes.
Each year, the Ocean Hero Awards honour the invaluable contribution Clean Coasts volunteers, groups and communities have made towards conserving our spectacular coastline.
Established in 2006 as the ‘Clean Coasts’ Merit Awards,’ the accolades initially featured a single category, ‘The Clean Coasts Group of the Year.’ Over the years, the program has evolved, engaging over 2,000 Clean Coasts groups and 40,000 volunteers, becoming an integral part of coastal communities nationwide.
This year, the Ocean Hero Awards take on special significance as Clean Coasts marks its 20th Anniversary. For the past 20 years, Clean Coasts has grown from strength to strength expanding and creating campaigns and initiatives aimed at enjoying, protecting and celebrating the beauty of our coast. None of that would be possible without the groups and volunteers all across Ireland that have helped make and grow the programme into what it is today and 2023 was a year like no other.
In County Donegal, 3 Clean Coasts Groups won prizes and were honoured at the 2023 Ocean Hero Award Ceremony.
Donegal based group Falcarragh Clean Coasts Group were honoured along with 3 other groups with the The Tourism Special Recognition Award (supported by Fáilte Ireland).
The Tourism Special Recognition Award, supported by Fáilte Ireland, acknowledges outstanding contributions in promoting sustainable tourism along our coastlines. This accolade honours individuals or groups who have significantly enhanced the visitor experience by fostering environmental stewardship and conservation practices. Nominees in this category demonstrate a commitment to preserving coastal beauty, engaging communities, and implementing initiatives that align with responsible tourism principles, aligning with Clean Coasts’ mission to protect and celebrate our oceans.
The group adhered to the “Protect our Dunes” campaign and created signage in collaboration with Clean Coasts and Donegal County Council.
Friends of Rossnowlagh
The aim was to create something easy to understand and observe. Drumnatinney Beach is part of the Ballyness Bay SAC and has some of the most impressive sand dunes systems in the country. Latest observations show the signage is working well and visitors largely keep of the dunes.The group’s effort to conserve the dunes set an example for other groups to follow and the signage they created will be used as a template at other sites in Donegal.
Friends of Rossnowlagh Clean Coasts Group won the Campaigner of the Year Award at the Clean Coasts Ocean Hero Awards.
The Campaigner of the Year Award is an award given to dedicated groups that demonstrates outstanding commitment and innovation in supporting existing Clean Coasts Campaigns as well as helping harness new campaigns and initiatives based on concerns in their area or nationwide, celebrating and honour individuals or groups who have made a significant impact on coastal conservation and environmental stewardship.
Friends of Rossnowlagh Clean Coasts Group has encouraged the public to clean up after their dogs by inviting all the four-legged friends to join their humans for a clean-up. Participants received a doggie bandana and free bags to equip them for their beach walks. Rossnowlagh Clean Coasts group have shown immense creativity and forward-thinking in their campaigning and the dedication towards keeping their stretch of the coastline free from any marine litter.
Finally, North West Home Education Group won the Youth of the Year Award.
This award honours our younger Clean Coasts volunteers. We would love to hear about individual youths or young groups that have joined or set up your local Clean Coasts group or have linked in with Clean Coasts programmes over the past year.
This group of children and young adults who are home educating, joined Clean Coasts in 2021 and have carried out beach and river cleans in Inishowen. In addition weekly outdoors activities followed by beach cleans, in 2023, they hosted a Clean Coast workshop at Buncrana’s Angling Centre and put together an informative project about what is safe to flush down the toilet, as well as they performed several experiments, as well as creating and showcasing a display at the ESB Science Blast.
