TV personalities Jamie Jewitt and Roxanne Pallet help clean up Blackpool beach

TV stars join the Sky Ocean Rescue Plastic Whale tour, inspiring the public to change the way they consume single-use plastics.

A 10 metre whale, made from the same amount of plastic dumped in the ocean every second, visits Blackpool to help promote the issue of ocean health

Jamie Jewitt, Love Island runner-up, and Roxanne Pallett, former soap star and actress, took part in an early morning beach clean with Blackpool Council

The Plastic Whale is touring the UK as part of the Sky Ocean Rescue campaign, encouraging the public to make changes to their plastic consumption

An independent survey has found that 87% of Brits are concerned by the use of plastic in the UK and 60% from the North West of England are willing to see a similar 5p plastic bag charge applied to other single-use plastics* such as straws, bottles and cups.

The research highlights a desire from the public to see behaviour change, as over eight million tonnes of plastic pollution continues to enter the ocean globally every year.**

Love Island star Jamie Jewitt and actress Roxanne Pallett joined the 10 metre plastic whale at Blackpool beach today, to highlight the scale of the problem and encourage people to become an #OceanHero. The whale is made of plastic bags, bottles and other single-use plastics pulled from the ocean, beach cleans and local recycling plants and represents the same amount of plastic that pollutes the ocean every second**.

The pair, who are both passionate about saving our oceans, joined an early morning beach clean with Blackpool Council before handing out refillable water bottles and giving tips to members of the public on on how to reduce their own plastic use.

Love Island runner up and model, James Jewitt, said: Its hard to get your head around the effect we are having on the ocean until you see the plastic whale and realise how much plastic is being dumped in the ocean every second. Itsterrifying and is the reason Im here in Blackpool supporting the Sky Ocean Rescue campaign. I love swimming and enjoying the beauty of our oceans and we are all putting that at risk. Its not hard to make a change, its simple; get a refillable bottle or dont take a straw it really doesnt take much but if we all do it it will make a difference.

Actress Roxanne Pallett added: I grew up coming to Blackpool at the weekend and on holiday, so this beach has a very special place in my heart. This morning I took part in a beach clean with the amazing team from Blackpool Council, who are out here every day, and I saw first-hand the rubbish thats left on the beach. The Plastic Whale is a great reminder of the amount of plastics that get dumped in our oceans every second and the action we all need to take to save our oceans. We all need to act now to prevent further damage.

The Plastic Whale Tour is travelling through England, Wales and Scotland, visiting iconic beach and water front locations as well as city centres. The campaign will drive awareness and give members of the public tips on small and easy changes - from using a refillable plastic bottle, to saying no to straws and plastic bags to help reduce plastic consumption.

Also joining the Plastic Whale tour in Blackpool, Stephanie Wyatt from LOVEmyBEACH, a campaign group aimed at inspiring communities in the North West to help improve the quality of the regions beaches and seas, said: Were delighted to welcome Sky Ocean Rescues plastic whale to Blackpool today and to help raise awareness of the dangers of single use plastics on marine life. The LOVEmyBEACH campaign encourages individuals to rethink single use plastics and consider changes such as refillable water bottles, refusing a straw and plastic cutlery.

The local community have already taken big steps to improve their coast which is apparent with the arrival of Blackpools first Blue Flag beach in 2016. But the great thing about the Sky Ocean Rescue campaign is that is all about helping people realise that small, simple day to day decisions can have a big impact of the ocean.

Find out more about the Plastic Whale Tour and the issues affecting our oceans at the Sky Ocean Rescue Facebook page, @skyoceanrescue on Twitter, or visit skyoceanrescue.com.

Notes to Editors

Research:

* Research conducted by FlyResearch and commissioned by Sky Ocean Rescue to a pool of over 2,000 respondents across the UK in August 2017.

** Estimated 8 million tonnes plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean globally in a year (Jambeck et al. Science Feb 2015). Whale made from 250kgs of plastic, calculations for plastic into the ocean every second derived from the 8 million tonnes annual figure.

Press Office:

For more information on the tour and regional visits including interview opportunities, video footage of the making of the plastic whale and on tour b-roll and photos, please contact the Sky Ocean Rescue Press Office:

Jo Torn - jo.torn@onegreenbean.com / 07341 838 770

Matt Buchanan matt.buchanan@onegreenbean.com / 07940 296 867

Alice Briggs - alice.briggs@onegreenbean.com / 07960 033 840

The Plastic Whale

The whale is made of plastic recovered from UK oceans, beach cleans and local recycling plants by recycling experts and material management company Bywaters. The whale is being transported around the UK on a Sussex Transport vehicle and Sky Ocean Rescue is carbon offsetting the journey.

Plastic Whale Tour locations:

15th August London, Potters Fields

17th August Newquay, Porth Beach

18th August Instow, Sandhills

20th August Cardiff, Cardiff Bay

21st August Birmingham, Bullring

22nd August Blackpool Promenade

23rd August Leeds, Sky Office

24th August Livingston, Sky Office

25th August Leith Dock, Edinburgh

26th August Edinburgh, Ocean Terminal

27th August Newcastle Intu Metrocentre

28th August Ipswich

About Sky Ocean Rescue

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