More than 80 people turned out to clean a popular Suffolk beach in the war against plastic waste.
Litter-Free Felixstowe arranged for volunteers to pick up waste at Old Felixstowe's beach on Sunday to celebrate the organisation's first anniversary, with town mayor Nick Barber on hand to thank volunteers for their efforts.
Children got their hands dirty to assist with the clean-up, being rewarded with certificates by Mr Barber.
Debbie Bartlett, organiser and head of Litter-Free Felixstowe, said she hopes the group will inspire the people of her town to become frontrunners in the battle to reduce the amount of beach waste and litter.
Mrs Bartlett said: "It's important for Felixstowe residents to take the lead in the plastic crisis and mobilise others into taking action."
Litter-Free Felixstowe was formed in November 2018, with Mrs Bartlett adding: "We want to encourage people's plastic-buying habits to change."
The group has organised a variety of litter-picking activities since its formation, including a digging-up of the Grove in Felixstowe to remove discarded waste.
Sunday's clean-up marked a successful first year for the group, Mrs Bartlett said.
She added: "People are becoming a lot better with their attitude to waste.
"We need to ensure the next generation understand the effects of dropping litter in the environment."
Mrs Bartlett paid tribute to everyone who gave up their time and effort to assist with Sunday's clean-up project.
She said: "Thank you to the people who came to our anniversary litter pick-up and beach clean.
"The sun came out and so did the lovely people who gave up their time to tackle waste and litter.
"It was such a lovely and memorable day to celebrate our first year as a community group.
"Thank you for your support over the past year and we hope to see more people joining us."
Carol Richardson, who supported the clean-up project, said: "I was really surprised to see the amount of rubbish we all collected. I cannot wait for the next one."
Ipswich-based recyclable cup manufacturer Frugalpac supported the event, providing Frugal Cups made of 100% recycled paper.
Paul McReynolds, head of sales and marketing at Frugalpac, said: "We're delighted to support community initiatives like Litter-Free Felixstowe, providing much-needed refreshment to the hardworking volunteers.
"By collaborating with Litter-Free Felixstowe, we amplify the message that we all play our part when we choose sustainable options and prevent waste ending up in our environment."
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