IF aire’s ae thing the North East has got gaun for it, it’s oor beaches. We’ve got stunnin beaches upon stunnin beaches. Fae Findhorn tae Findochty, an fae New Aiberdoor tae Neebra, aire’s endless opportunities tae hae days spent plooterin aboot in the sea, haein a picnic on the sands; jist getting awa fae aa the hustle an bussle o ivry day life. Ye see, fishin an ile arna the ainley benefits we reep fae bein locatet on the shores o the North Sea. A recent survey bi Visit Scotland fun that haein a particular interest in Aiberdeenshire’s scenery or landscape wis the nummer one reason fit why fowk decidet tae visit the area. The same survey fun that in jist ae ‘ear, 1.62 million visitors cam tae Aiberdeen City an Shire, wi the maist amoont o owerseas tourists comin fae Germany, America, France an Italy, an of course, wi them, they brocht money tae add tae oor pot.

Far tae begin wi foo oor beaches rake in the siller for the economy? Obviously tourism is aye gaun tae be the main money makker fan it comes tae ony coastal location, an even though the North East seems tae be flammin freezin for aboot fifty wiks o the ‘ear, fowk still come tae lap up the serenity, an mebbe a hattie fae ane o oor hunners o award winnin ice cream shoppies anaa. Nae forgettin siller spent by animal enthusiasts fa come jist for the wildlife, like the shoals o dolphins an herds o seals, that we are lucky enough tae hae livin jist aff o oor shores. Then ye’ve got the weddins. It seems that recently seaside hotels sic as The Tufted Duck an Banff Springs hiv been becomin a mair an mair popular choice o weddin venue, fit nae ainley brings in a nice wee bit o cash tae the North East economy, but also creates a fine amoont o jobs tae. Considerin the current climate o unemployment in Aiberdeen City an Shire, ony new job opportunities arna tae be sniffed at, an neither is the fine sum o £421 million that tourists pit in tae the North East economy in 2015 alain.

Ye’d think that wi oor beaches bein sae popular that they wid be in a pretty guid state. Weel, they are an they’re nae. In recent ‘ears North East beaches hiv come oot as some o the best an worst in Scottish Environment Protection Agency reports. In the maist recent report, Philorth beach near The Broch cam oot as ane o the best in the country an wis rated ‘excellent’, far as Cruden Bay, Nairn an Stanehaven beaches were aa rated ‘peer’, due tae pollution fae agricultural an urban sources as weel as sewage. Luckily, we’re gettin anither chance tae show that we’ve pulled oor socks up as, come Mye, SEPA are gaun tae stairt the monitorin process again. They hiv predictet that sivventy-five Scots baithin watters are gaun tae be classified as sufficient or better, sae here’s hopin that Cruden Bay, Nairn an Stanehaven are pairt o the sivventy-five. Wi Balmedie an Cullen beach bein classed as some o the best in the kintra bi TripAdvisor, mebbe we’ll hae even mair o oor beaches rated as ‘excellent’ this time roon anaa.

Tae achieve this though, an affa lot o work has tae be deen. Aire’s organisations croppin up, sic as the East Grampian Costal Partnership (fa are willin tae provide onybody fae wants tae help oot wi litter pickers, gloves, bags an advice), an Surfers Against Sewage North East Scotland fa are wagin the war on beach pollution an hiv, since the turn o the ‘ear, already organised clean ups on Aiberdeen, Neebra an Balmedie beach. The sad, an shockin truth is that durin their clean up on Aiberdeen beach alaine, SAS collected 80 glaiss bottles, 145 cans, 280 plastic bottles, an a gran total o ower five hunner bags o rubbish. Fan aa that can be teen fae jist ae beach, it’s difficult tae imagine jist foo much waste is actually lyin on beaches across the North East. The next chance ye’ll hae tae len SAS a haun is actually the morn, the twinty-third o March, fan they dae a beach clean up at Macduff.

Fooiver, ye dinna hae tae be pairt o a big movement tae mak a difference. Aire’s a lot o things that we as individuals should aa be daein already tae help the environment but mebbe arna. Wi the extra motivation o daein yer bit tae help North East beaches, an in turn the North East economy, it’s probably time tae mak a few changes tae oor lifestyles. Fan ye think aboot it though, it’s nae jist oor local area we should be worried aboot; the North East disnae exist in a vacuum, an pollution is a major problem across nae jist the hail country, but the hail warld. The maist obvious wye tae help wid be pickin up a few bitties o rubbish faniver ye tak a turn doon tae yer local sands, but aire’s ither wyes anaa. If aabody was ti mak less waste, then less waste would end up on oor beaches. A great wye tae achieve this is takkin a reusuable cup wi ye fan ye ging tae yer café o choosin for a caffine fix, an refusin a plastic straa fan ye ging oot for a bevvy. Daein as we’re telt by Scottish Water an nae puttin baby wipes, cotton buds etc doon the lavvy will keep oor beaches cleaner tae. If aabody across Scotlan wis tae stairt daein little things lik ‘at tae help, oor country an beaches wid be even mair appealin tae visitors, an oor warld would be an affa lot better aff for it tae.

So, oor abundance o beaches cam wi an abundance o perks, but are we leukin aifter them as we should be? It seems nae. The bottom line is that if North East beaches arna bonnie an clean then fowk winna come, an ultimately the siller that they bring in will dry up. Oor beaches are the jewels in the croon o the North East, an we hiv tae keep polishin them if we want them tae keep their value.