Number one brand will hand out free soup in Sussex for Marine Conservation Society’s annual Great British Beach Clean

The Cork-based food company, established in 2004 by friends Cullen Allen and Colum O'Sullivan, is the charity’s sponsor and will be roadshowing around the UK during the Great British Beach Clean from September 15 to 24.

The visits include Hove beach by King Alfred Leisure Centre on Thursday, September 21, from 11am to 12.30pm.

Cullen said: "As watersports enthusiasts, this initiative is very close to our hearts. Marine litter is such a big issue. We love that this campaign takes action and reminds us of the importance of disposing of our waste properly and recycling plastics. I’m looking forward to taking a road trip over the week of the beach cleans, meeting lots of the fantastic volunteers on the beach and serving them up some free soup.”

The Great British Beach Clean will also take place at Worthing near the Lido on September 17 from 9.30am to 11.30am; Littlehampton's East Beach on Wednesday, September 20, from 10.30am to midday; at

Littlehampton West Beach with OSPAR on September 23 from 11am to 1pm; and Lancing Beach on September 24 from 10am to midday. To join in at any beach taking part, visit www.mcsuk.org/gbbc

Clare Trotman, Beachwatch officer, said: “We wouldn’t be able to do the work we do at the Marine Conservation Society without the support of our volunteers heading out to the coast to collect vital information on what’s polluting our seas.

"With beach cleans happening across the UK, from remote beaches to busy seaside resorts, there’s so many ways to get involved and support us this year. If you can’t make it to the beach, you can still take part by doing a local litter pick and survey where you live.”

The Source to Sea citizen science project allows anyone to get involved, anywhere. Much of the pollution found on beaches makes its way there from inland, finding its way into streams, rivers or drains and ending up in the ocean.

The data collected on pollution by the coast, as well as inland, enables the Marine Conservation Society to campaign for positive change to protect the ocean, and has already helped implement plastic bag charges, better wet wipe labelling, and supporting a tax on single-use plastic items.

At last year’s Great British Beach Clean, 30 miles of beach were cleared and surveyed by 5,344 volunteers, collecting 141,048 pieces of litter. The amount of litter recorded across the whole of 2022 on beaches decreased by 11 per cent across the UK and Channel Islands, compared to in 2021, with each UK nation seeing a reduction.

Dr Laura Foster, head of clean seas, said: "Sewage-related litter, like wet wipes and period products, is often a sign of a sewage discharge nearby. Sewage not only contains misflushed items but also a toxic soup of chemicals including ‘forever chemicals’ and pharmaceuticals.

"Entering our beautiful seas untreated, they wreak havoc with the ocean's delicate balance. But it doesn’t have to be this way. The data our volunteers collect on sewage-related litter this year will help us understand the scale of the problem and keep fighting for sewage-free seas.”

The charity is asking volunteers to take pictures of sewage-related items or sewage outlet pipes they spot during their clean. Volunteers can share pictures with the charity by tagging @mcsuk on social media and using the #SewageFreeSeas hashtag, or submit them to the charity via their website, to help show how pervasive the issue is.