Disclaimer: This post is part of a paid campaign with Barefoot Wine. All opinions of course remain honest and my own.
I couldn’t have pictured a more perfect Saturday. Bean bags, wine, new friends and giving back to the environment.
Over the weekend I was asked by Barefoot Wine to bare my sole as part of their #BareYourSole campaign. This meant I had to open up about a secret passion or quirky interest. Not only that but I’d be lending a hand at one of their beach clean ups in Liverpool where people are encouraged to #LeaveOnlyFootprints. You didn’t have to ask me twice, I was there!
The clouds were hanging heavy over Crosby beach and I started to question how many people would actually turn up. However, like magic, at 2pm people just started arriving in herds! Grabbing at gloves and bin bags, everyone got stuck in and began cleaning up the beach.
At first, a beach can look relatively clean, it’s only once you really start looking hard you can see candy wrappers buried in the seaweed and bottle lids pushed down into the sand.
I’ve never attended a beach clean or anything similar before so at first, I had no idea what to expect. I quickly started to realise that it was less about just picking up rubbish and more about the bigger picture.
As I looked up and down the beach, seeing people of all ages coming together on a cloudy British day to do some good really touched my heart. It reminded me that there are good people doing good things. It was about coming together as a community and giving back.
As a traveller, I live on the premise of take only memories and leave only footprints. I have seen my fair share of dirty beaches and I have also experienced some of the most pristine beaches in the world. I know which I prefer to laze on under the sun!
On another note, Crosby beach is actually a really cool spot! It has 100 cast-iron figures placed all over the place at different depths on the beach! A little concerning when you first see them as you think they are actual people but super cool once you see them up close!
The two hours we were there flew by and before we knew it, it was time to weigh the rubbish bags and toast to a successful day. What I didn’t expect was for everyone to have collected over 175kg of waste. That’s insane! My mouth dropped to the floor when they revealed the number!
After all our hard work, we got rewarded with a glass of Barefoot Wine of our choice and everyone got together for photographs, chit chats and laughter!
Want to get involved? Barefoot Wine is challenging you to post an image of your secret passion or quirky interest to Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #BareYourSole. You may even be in with the chance of winning a personalised bottle of wine!
Want to get more hands-on I hear you scream? There will be two more beach cleans on the 15th July in Perranporth and 16th July in Brighton!
