Nellie The Fish Swims Back To Hayling Shores - The Directory Group

Nellie the fish swims back to Hayling shores

A six-metre fish has returned to Hayling Island to collected plastic bottles and metal cans.

During her visit, Nellie the Fish will assist in tackling beach litter and highlight the amount of single use waste. She will also be focusing on when plastic waste reaches our oceans.

[Nellie]

Returning from last year, when Nellie collected more than 220 cans and 170 plastic bottles during her two week stay, it is hoped that lots more will be collected this year – during her six week visit.

Nellie is made entirely from scrap metal, including warehouse clothing cages and vehicle parts,  travels around the coast to engage with residents, visitors, businesses and the wider community to help protect the local environment and reduce waste, litter and pollution.

The Final Straw Foundation, who have kindly provided Nellie, is a registered UK charity who work with local communities and businesses to highlight the impact of plastic pollution on our environment and to try to minimise the amount of plastic entering our local seas and wider oceans.

Every year:

14bn plastic drinks bottles are bought in the UK
12m tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean, the equivalent of a rubbish truck every minute
100,000 marine mammals and turtles and 1m sea birds are killed by marine plastic pollution

Councillor Clare Satchwell, Cabinet Lead for Planning, Hayling Seafront Strategy and Coastal Management, said: “We are delighted to welcome back Nellie the Fish to the island once again. 

“During her stay she will not only be a focal point, but will also be taking part in the Kite Surfing Armarda and our Marine funday that is taking place on Saturday 14 August.

“We encourage all our residents and visitors to reuse, refill and reduce, rather than single use and throw away, but if get caught out and have had to buy something in single use plastic then come and feed Nellie the fish, as opposed to the real fish.”

“Leave our beautiful beaches as you would like to find them”

Nellie arrived on Monday 2 August and can be found close to the skate park on Hayling seafront.  

For more information about The Final Straw Foundation visit https://finalstrawfoundation.org/

The Directory Group covers the following areas within Hampshire and West Sussex: Petersfield, Clanfield, Hornden, Cowplain, Waterlooville, Denmead, Purbrook, Widley, Farlington, Cosham, Drayton, Havant, Rowlands Castle, Hayling Island, Emsworth, Southbourne, Westbourne and Bosham.