FIREMAN Sam teamed up with pupils at a Bournemouth school to clean up Sandbanks Beach for the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean

Last year, Marine Conservation Society volunteers found an average of 425 items of litter for every 100 metres of beach cleaned in the UK.

Earlier this month the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean received an extra boost from pre-school favourite Fireman Sam show and children from Bearwood Primary School, who collected litter for the charity’s citizen science project on the seafront in Poole.

The beach-side activities celebrated the marine and sustainable eco-education themes in the upcoming new series of Fireman Sam – out on October 4 on Cartoonito that introduces new character, marine biologist Jodie Phillips.

Eco-Artist Sarah Turner designed an seven foot seahorse for the event made from recycled materials, illustrating the damaging effect litter and pollution has on our marine life and ocean. The children built their own eco-turtles made from old plastic bottles and scoured the beach on a Seashore Safari.

Jenny Griffiths, Education Manager at the Marine Conservation Society said: “It’s so important to make young people aware of marine issues including ocean pollution from a young age. Having the topics covered by Fireman Sam is a fantastic way to talk about our ocean in an approachable way.”

Helen Genia, a Fireman Sam spokesperson said ‘Education and preschool appropriate safety messages has always been at the heart of Fireman Sam content. This is the first time Marine Conservation and Sustainability are key themes in the upcoming new series and we are delighted to be marking the occasion by supporting the important work of the Marine Conservation Society.