Dusting the dunes to mark Queen's 90th birthday

It is organising a massive clear-up operation along Druridge Bay, aptly nicknamed Dusting the Dunes, as part of the national Clean for the Queen celebrations to mark the monarch’s 90th birthday later this year.

Meeting at The Drift Cafe in Cresswell, two teams will be pitting their wits against each other to see who can collect the most rubbish from the beach along the bay – a section of the beach is pictured above – and the pond and dunes at the charity’s East Chevington reserve.

NWT and its supporters are committed to keeping Druridge Bay looking its best. They regularly collect hundreds of kilograms of rubbish along the coast.

Litter dropped at the beach can trap or hurt wild anima-ls, as well as injure dogs wh-en they run along the dunes.

The clear-up day will take place on Friday, March 4, between 10am and 3pm.

Steve Lowe, head of conservation at NWT, said: “When the Queen came to the throne, litter was not the problem that it is today – especially along our coastline.

“Food packaging, plastic bottles and takeaway meal trays have all contributed to a growing menace that affects our wildlife, streets, countryside and coastline, so come on everybody, join us on March 4 and be part of something massive.”

Clean for the Queen is a campaign by Country Life magazine in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy.