Animal Care Students Litter Pick at Newcastle Beach

Level 2 Traineeship NI Animal Care students from SERC’s Downpatrick Campus, rolled up their sleeves for a litter pick at Newcastle beach and got a delicious thank you from Lick ice cream parlour for their efforts.

Diane McKay, Technical Support Officer from SERC, who organised the litter pick said, “Helping the community and the environment is part of the course. It was great to take our learning out of the classroom, put it into action by way of a litter pick, and see exactly the difference we can all make to our local environment. The students gathered several bags of rubbish, all of which posed a danger to marine life.”

Diane concluded, “Thankfully, the weather held for us and the students who donated over 20 hours volunteering effort to the environment got to enjoy a thank you ice cream courtesy of Lick.”

Kathy Black, Co-Founder of Unit T Community Group and The Eden Project’s ‘The Big Lunch Campaign’, provided clean up equipment and joined the litter pick to speak about ongoing environmental issues in the local area. She said, “It is brilliant to see how passionate each of these students are about the environment.   They were excited to show off all the interesting items they removed from the shoreline and inspired others to take steps to make a difference where they live. Taking rubbish home instead of placing it beside overflowing bins - which will end up blowing into the sea - is one simple step that can make a huge difference.”

Apply now for courses commencing September 2023.