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Published:
June 5, 2008
Burnham-On-Sea
beach gains Quality Coast Award
 Burnham-On-Sea
beach has been awarded a Quality Coast Award, delighting tourism
bosses in the town.
The
awards, which were announced on Thursday (June 5th), shine the
spotlight on the UK's beaches which offer the best cleanliness,
facilities and standards.
Cllr
Ann Bown, Sedgemoor's portfolio holder for Health and Wellbeing,
told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "We are thrilled at gaining the
award yet again. Many people take the beach and its cleanliness
for granted."
"At
Sedgemoor, we employ staff, such as lifeguards and beach cleaners
to help visitors and residents enjoy the beach. We also organise
the letting of beach entertainment such as Punch and Judy, ice-creams,
bucket and spades, trampolining, donkey/pony rides and bouncy
castles. It all adds up to a wonderful place to spend a day or
even just an hour to take in some fresh air."
"We
are also pleased to note that results from the Environment Agency,
who monitor the quality of water for bathing, range from excellent
down to good. Over the past five years the bathing quality has
been consistently excellent, with Burnham beach falling occasionally
into the good category, due to its proximity to the Rivers Parrett
and Brue."
Launched
in April 2007, the Quality Coast Award scheme recognises different
types of beaches throughout England that achieve the very highest
standards. The Quality Coast Award scheme is run by ENCAMS, the
independent environmental charity behind the Keep Britain Tidy
campaign and environmental programme Eco-Schools. The Environment
Agency (EA) also tests the sea water quality weekly while The
Marine Conservation Society is primarily concerned with the quality
of water for marine life.
Every
Quality Coast Award beach has to meet strict criteria including
clean sands free of litter and dog fouling; Consideration given
to pedestrians’ safety on and around the beach; Assessment
on how many people the beach can hold at one time; Good access
to the coastal spot; Any facilities must be clean and in good
working order; Quality Coast Award has been developed over the
past two years consulting with the public, beach managers and
safety advisors.
Our
photo shows Cllr Duncan McGinty (left) with the Quality Coast
Award flag and Graham Newing (right), Beach Safety Officer for
Burnham-On-Sea
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