THIRTY guests vacationing at Sandals Grande Ocho Rios recently volunteered to clean up Fisherman’s Beach, in accordance with the Sandals Foundation’s efforts to celebrate World Wetlands Day.

The visitors joined Sandals managers and team members, as well as members of the fishing community, located on the outskirts of St Ann’s Bay, to clean the entire beach, ridding it of garbage and debris.

“The area had been in poor condition, resulting from the recent heavy rains. Plastic bottles and debris flowed from the drains and gullies of the town onto the beach, much to the chagrin of the fishermen and persons using the beach for relaxation,” said a release from Sandals Grande Ocho Rios.

The clean-up team, armed with rakes and garbage bags, converged on the beach from early morning and spent the better part of the day on the clean-up exercise.

“We are very happy that the Sandals Foundation continues to help clean the beach,” said Claire Shaw, a community member. “We help ourselves and clean the beach when we can, but it is good that other people see it fit to help us. The Sandals team is regularly here and now they have brought guests with them. We are just so appreciative.”

Bud and Kathy Stellberg, from Wisconsin, USA, who were on their ninth visit to Sandals Grande Ocho Rios, said they were very happy to be a part of the environment-related event.

“This is the first time we have been invited out on a community effort like this and we are quite happy to be a part of this amazing experience,” Bud said. “As you see, I walk with a cane so I couldn’t do as much as I wanted to, but I did my part and my wife also played a major role.”

“We just love Jamaica and its people, and this is just our small way of giving back to the community. We certainly wish we could do more. We are happy to holiday with a company that gives back,” his wife noted.

Megan Martin — the resort’s loyalty manager who, along with the public relations team, is one of the driving forces behind the “volunteer guests visiting the community programme” — said it was an ongoing one and projects were being identified on a weekly basis for visitors to participate in.

“Working in this area, we are very committed to the environment. Trash is not all we collect, we also collect information to keep track of the type of garbage and its source. With this information, solutions can be created to solve the problem,” said regional public relations manager, Ian Spencer.

“This is a continuation of the programme we have set out for the parishes of St Ann and St Mary and there is a lot more to be done,” added Lyndsay Isaacs, also a regional public relations manager with the resort.

Both Spencer and Isaacs have urged residents of St Ann’s Bay to dispose of plastic bottles in garbage receptacles and not on the streets, as the team had removed hundreds of such plastic bottles from the beach area.

During heavy rains, much of the town’s garbage flows through the drains and is washed into the sea.

The Sandals Foundation was launched in March 2009 to continue the philanthropic work that Sandals Resorts International has been dedicated to for almost three decades.

Community, education and the environment underpin the singular objective of the foundation, which is to make a difference in the lives people across the Caribbean. This is achieved by investing in community projects, educational programmes and environmental preservation on the islands where the resorts operate.

From adopting schools and conducting health screenings to supporting local farmers and cleaning up beaches, Sandals and Beaches resorts aim to unite the region under common goals — to elevate people and protect the delicate ecosystem.