Earlier this week VANEL celebrated our first-ever World Oceans Day event at Cleethorpes Discovery Centre! The event, which came as part of our ongoing work with Anglian Water supporting their ‘Keep It Clear’ campaign, was a huge success, and served as the launch-pad for VANEL’s newly developed virtual reality experience ‘Pipes Away’.
World Oceans Day (WOD) is a global day of ocean celebration which encourages people to learn more about our oceans and marine life, and work together in order to conserve and protect them. Likewise, Anglian Water’s ‘Keep It Clear’ campaign aims to encourage people to consider the financial and environmental impact improper waste disposal can have. World Oceans Day is officially celebrated each year on the 8th June. We, however, decided to hold our WOD event on Tuesday 30th May to coincide with half-term.
Our WOD event included stalls from Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary, Humberside Police, RNLI and Beach Care, also served as the launch of VANEL’s exciting Virtual Reality Experience ‘Pipes Away’. ‘Pipes Away’, which is funded by ‘The Environment Now’ in partnership with O2 Think Big and the National Youth Agency, allows users to virtually immerse themselves into their pipes, and banish some of the belligerent blockages commonly found in UK drains. Similarly to Anglian Water’s KIC campaign, ‘Pipes Away’ aims to encourage children and young people to think twice before disposing of certain types of household waste down the drain or toilet, and encourage them to develop good habits which they can pass on to their family members and peers. It may sound strange, but it is not uncommon for people to dispose of inappropriate household waste or even dead pets down the drain or toilet.
Pictured Above L -R: VANEL’s Chief Officer Paula Grant trying out Pipes Away. Stalls from RLNI, Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary, Counting Hope, Beachcare and outdoor fun with Explorabubble.
To measure the effectiveness of Pipes Away as a way of deterring people from putting anything but Pee, Poo, Paper or waste water down the drain or toilet, we conducted a survey asking participants of ‘Pipes Away’ if they had ever flushed something down the toilet that they know they shouldn’t have. Answers ranged from wet-wipes and cotton buds to cardboard and even smarties! We then asked if after taking part in Pipes Away, if they would in the future be discouraged from flushing unflushables down the toilet in the future. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with 100% of the children and young who admitted to flushing an unflushable item down the toilet saying that they would not do it again after playing ‘Pipes Away’.
Meanwhile on the beach Fiona Mckenna and Lottie Williams from Beachcare and Rivercare coordinated a litter-pick on a 200 metre stretch of beach near to the Discovery Centre. In the space of just 90 minutes, volunteers attending VANEL’s WOD event collected 10kg of dog poo, and three kilograms of litter on the beach.
Lottie Williams, river care and beach Care officer said: “The litter pick was really successful. People braved the rain we had some kids along today and we collected 10kg of dog poo, both bagged and un-bagged in a 200m section.
“It’s bad for the community we need to protect the beaches, bathing water and wildlife. The majority was bagged up but people aren’t using the bins.”