Two Clare Clean Coasts groups have been honoured at the 2024 Ocean Hero Awards with Spanish Point Community Group winning the Group of the Year award.
The Clean Coasts Programme celebrated Spanish Point Community Group and West Coast Surf Club who made a difference for our marine environment this year with honours in 2 categories at the 2024 Ocean Hero Awards
An Taisce’s Clean Coasts Programme hosted the Ocean Hero Awards Ceremony at the Gibson Hotel, Dublin, to celebrate and give thanks to the dedicated groups, individuals, communities, and businesses who have gone above and beyond to protect their local coastline and its surrounding environment, in 2024. During times of uncertainty, one thing is always guaranteed that you will leave these annual awards feeling uplifted, inspired and with a renewed sense of hope for the future of our coast and marine environment.
Every year, the Ocean Hero Awards commemorate the invaluable contribution and dedication that Clean Coasts volunteers, groups and communities give towards conserving Ireland’s unique coastal heritage. Established in 2006 as the ‘Clean Coasts Merit Awards,’ the awards initially featured a single category, ‘The Clean Coasts Group of the Year.’ In the years following the awards have grown alongside the programme itself as more groups have come on board. As of 2024 there are over 2,000 Clean Coasts groups and over 40,000 volunteers who are actively engaging with the programme and who are integral to their coastal communities nationwide.
In 2024, Clean Coasts determined six distinct categories, and after hundreds of nominations were received, a total of 30 groups, organisations and individuals made the shortlist for the title of Ocean Hero in each category. At the awards ceremony, the hard work and achievements this year of each group was showcased and celebrated, and now the winners for each category have been announced:
In County Clare Spanish Point Community Group won joint 1st place in the Ocean Hero Group of the Year Award 2024 for their continued efforts in protecting and preserving their adopted beaches and coastline in county Clare.
In 2024 Spanish Point Community Group has been very active undertaking several projects to help preserve and protect their local beaches and coastal environment. They have carried out efforts to achieve dune stabilisation and to prevent further damage to their precious dunes by planting marram grass and installing fencing and geobags. This year they also worked alongside a marine robotic research group from the University of Limerick who have created an environmental app named “Bluepoint” to help locate marine litter and to put any plastics found to good use. The group has championed environmental awareness and education in their local community through a number of events, workshops and talks and displays of noticeboards in the area.
Also nominated in county Clare was West Coast Surf Club located in Lahinch, who were shortlisted in the Youth of the Year category. Throughout 2024 this group showed dedication in fostering a strong sense of community through a variety of programmes, including the Boardriders programme, Inclusion Sessions, and Mná na Tonnta.
As part of their commitment to environmental stewardship, they actively integrated initiatives like the #2MinuteBeachClean and hosted fortnightly beach clean events. These activities provide young members with the opportunity to develop positive habits around plastic waste management and raise awareness about ocean litter.
