Among those participating in Keep Bermuda Beautiful's Marine Cleanup last Saturday were 10 groups comprising young people, including those from primary, middle and high schools, sports groups and a scout troop.

The Paget Titans Youth Group undertook the cleaning up of the two small beaches at Red Hole, Paget, and not content with doing just their assigned task, moved on to tackle Paget Primary School grounds once Red Hole was spick and span.

The seven- and eight-year olds 'TAGed' the rubbish as they went (put tin, aluminium and glass in separate blue bags), enjoying the camaraderie of the morning spent with their coaches off the football field.

Jamar Stovel, who attends Paget Primary explained: "It was a great thing 'cos it's good to make places clean so they won't look ugly."

"I think it was fun," Gilbert Institute student Damar Steede noted, adding that he was participating, "'cos the beach had to be cleared off and not left dirty."

Schoolmate Marcus Wade wasn't so enamoured of the task. "It makes me tired and smells stinky stuff," he stated, but expressed the opinion that their efforts had made the spot better. "Helping the environment is kinda the thing I do," he added.

West Pembroke Primary School KBB club, under the direction of Deputy Principal Wendell Smith, went east. Thirty-one students, five parents and two teachers worked their way along the north and south coasts of Coney Island, picking up a wide range of items, including a wooden cable spool, chains and, of course, a large number of bottles. In all, over 30 bags of trash were collected by the youngsters in addition to the bulky items.

"They did a really good job," noted Mr. Smith, who supervises the club of 50 students at the Pembroke school.

Other schools participating in the cleanup included T. N. Tatem and Bermuda High School at John Smith's Bay, Warwick Academy at Grape Bay Beach, Dellwood Middle School at Admiralty Park, Pembroke, Somersfield Academy, Bermuda High School and Berkeley Institute at various South Shore beaches, Sandys Middle School at Somerset Long Bay and Learning Express Academy at Malabar shoreline, Ireland Island.

The young people were some of the 400 volunteers who participated in the annual marine clean-up organised by KBB as part of the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup event involving 90 countries.