COMMUNITY
Helicopter helps in Mull beach clean with a twist Three-and-a-half huge bags of washed-up marine litter has been cleaned off a remote beach on the Isle of Mull - with the help of a helicopter. Skyhook Helicopters, part of Craignure-based TSL Contractors Ltd, kindly agreed to uplift the ‘dumpy bags’ full of plastics and fly them to the nearest roadside after they proved too difficult to shift from the remote location. Somerset Charrington, of Treshnish Farm near Calgary, started beach cleaning along a large inaccessible shore in 2019 while keeping an eye on his lambs. He amassed such a large quantity that he placed it in large feed bags to stop it blowing around. But the location of the rubbish - more than a mile from the nearest vehicular access - meant it proved a headache to shift as there was no way of transporting them back to the farm.Carolyne Charrington, who runs Treshnish and Haunn Cottages, said: ‘Our wildest dream was to get a helicopter to lift it out to a place where we could reach it with a vehicle but we baulked at the potential cost of this.’ However, before Christmas they got word that Skyhook was going to be lifting packs of fencing materials into position on the Isle of Ulva in the
washing up continues to be a huge issue. Finds include lobster tags from Newfoundland, Canada, and fishing buoys from Providence, Maine. A neighbour also found a boat on the shores of Loch Tuath between Mull and Ulva, having fallen off a container ship on its way from Denmark to Greenland, she said. Carolyne said: ‘Treshnish New Year and got in touch to has four miles of coastline ask if they could help. and as much as we would On Saturday February like to, it is just not possible 6, a helicopter piloted by to keep every inch picked operations manager Murray clean of the marine plastic Graham and assisted by and rubbish that washes in ground crew Terry Maughan with the tides. and Matthew Rowbottom, ‘But we do what we can removed the bags. and usually where there is Carolyne said: ‘It took all access with a quad bike or a of five minutes. We both felt tractor.’ quite emotional with tears in Guests had often helped our eyes at the sight of the by picking up beach plastic, bags disappearing over the hill. We are so very grateful to while Mull Otter Group has also organised beach cleans Skyhook for doing this.’ too. Murray, who pilots the ‘All this is a great help and AS350 B3 Plus - aka ‘the makes the never-ending single squirrel’ - said Skytask feel less onerous,’ said hook had been flying out bundles of fencing from Mull Carolyne. to Ulva and the job of uplifting the litter was no effort at all with them only too happy to help. The six-seater helicopter can uplift 1.2 tonnes on an underslung load and TSL owner Andy Knight is from Mull with the company established there. Carolyne said plastics
MULL & IONA LIFE
Mull & Iona Life issue 41.indd 17
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