By Sarah Robinson

Published at 11:07, Thursday, 19 April 2012

IMPROVING St Bees beach is the aim of a new community group which has been set up.

team work: The regeneration team (from left) Pamela Argyle, Maurice McMaster, Michael Kendall, Gary McFarlane, Doug Sim (chairman), Chris Robson, John Kennedy (vice chairman) and Rachel Osborn (Copeland Council)

It was formed by the parish council along with residents and representatives of Copeland Council.

The team aims to tackle a number of issues, including clearing litter, improving sign-posting to other local attractions and generally improving the beach area.

Jane Donaldson, St Bees parish council clerk, said these issues have been discussed at previous parish council meetings. As a result, a sub-committee was formed last month to look more closely at the problems and how to solve them.

Doug Sim, chair of St Bees Parish Council Beach Regeneration Committee, said the sub-committee follows the same model as the successful traffic-calming sub-committee which has been running for the last 23 years.

Mr Sim said a list has been collated prioritising what issues need to be dealt with first. These include keeping the beach clean, upgrading the telephone box at the beach, improving the interpretation boards at the beach and maintaining the Wainwright monument on the coast-to -coast route as well as improve sign-posting.

Some of the medium priority issues are to: repair the shelter, improve the play area and walkers boards.

Third priority issues are to replace the shelter and improve the area of the caravan site.

Copeland Council provides beach cleaning services between the ‘bathing season’ of May until September, however, this year staff have provided further services.

Mrs Donaldson said: “Copeland Council do a really good job to clean the main part of the beach in the bathing season. We do rely on voluntary groups to come and get involved in beach cleans too.”

She added that Copeland Council and the parish council are working closely on the latest project too.

She said: “Copeland Council are on board. They know we are aiming to improve the facilities in the area and they support what we are doing.”

To get involved in the venture, contact Jane Donaldson on 01946 822560 or email her at pc_clerk@stbees.org.uk.

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk