Meet Ireland’s Ocean Heroes!
Winners from across Ireland were surprised by Clean Coasts to celebrate being Ocean Heroes
Over the past two weeks, Clean Coasts have honoured winning groups, individuals, communities and businesses who have won an Ocean Hero Award for outstanding work and commitment to their coastlines and areas.
Each year, the Ocean Hero Awards honour the invaluable contribution Clean Coasts volunteers, groups and communities have made towards conserving our spectacular coastline. The awards originally called the ‘Clean Coasts Merit Awards’, were conceived in 2006, consisting then of only one category, ‘The Clean Coasts Group of the Year’.
Being Ireland’s foremost community-based coastal education programme, the Clean Coasts programme can count on the work of over 1,800 volunteer groups and over 37,000 volunteers nationwide. The involvement and support of the whole community are essential to the work of Clean Coasts and the Ocean Hero Awards, which have been running for the past 15 years, is an award thought to recognise the invaluable contribution volunteers, groups and communities have made towards conserving the Irish coastline.
It has been an unusual year, and, like everyone, Clean Coasts and its volunteers have had to adapt. The continued support, engagement, and interest from the many Clean Coasts volunteers around the country has been outstanding, showing dedication and resilience through these testing times.
Clean Coasts understands that it was not possible for everybody to take part in clean-up activities this year and for some, it was incredibly frustrating not to be able to get out to those places that they love and normally care for. Nonetheless, there is great value in sharing examples of the creative solutions that groups have come up with to inspire us all to look ahead to the new year.
In an effort to recognise the growth of our volunteer groups, the number of Ocean Hero categories has expanded to include ten categories in 2021.
The categories include:
- Clean Coasts Group of Year
- Clean Coasts Volunteer of the Year
- Clean Coasts Youth of the Year
- Clean Coasts #2minutebeachclean Leader Award
- Clean Coasts #BigBeachClean Award
- Clean Coasts Beach Clean Bubble Award
- Clean Coasts #EnjoyandProtect Award
- Think Before You Flush Community of the Year (supported by Irish Water)
- Clean Coasts Corporate Volunteering Award
- Clean Coasts Amazing Achievements Great and Small Award
In 2021 a total of 36 groups, organisations and individuals were shortlisted for the title of Ocean Hero within each of the ten categories.
All shortlisted nominees were sent a congratulatory package to thank them for their contribution to coasts across Ireland despite the various challenges that 2021 brought.
The ten winners from each of the categories hail from all over Ireland, including Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Louth, Mayo, Sligo and Wexford.
This year in place of a traditional awards ceremony Clean Coasts decided to do something a little bit different. They surprised the winners in each of the ten categories located across Ireland with their very own Covid safe awards ceremony where they were presented with their very own engraved Ocean Heroes trophy.
Sinead McCoy, Clean Coasts Manager said: “I would like to congratulate all of the Ocean Hero Awardees, our shortlist and winners are incredibly inspiring volunteers, groups and communities that have made an outstanding contribution to protecting Ireland’s coastal environment. The Clean Coasts programme’s Ocean Hero Awards have been celebrating the incredible efforts of volunteers around the Irish Coastline since 2006. Although 2021 has been challenging at times it has been an incredible year for Clean Coasts and our network has grown so much and shown an incredible amount of dedication and care for our beaches, coastline, marine life and oceans. We were delighted to have received so many inspirational nominations that show not only the true dedication of these coastal custodians but also that their efforts don’t go unnoticed by the community.”
These various ceremonies were filmed and compiled into a celebration video that can be found on Clean Coast’s YouTube Channel here: (Link)
2021 Ocean Hero Award winners included:
Group of the Year Award Winner 2021
Cooley Community Alert Peninsula Marine, Dundalk, Co. Louth
Individual of the Year Award Winner 2021
Mairead Staunton Keep Our Beaches Clean, Co. Mayo
Youth of the Year Award Winner 2021
St Colman’s Community College, Midleton, Co. Cork
#2minutebeachclean Leader Award Winner 2021
Sean Ferguson, Co. Wexford
Big Beach Clean Award Winner 2021
Banna Beach Coastcare Group, Tralee, Co. Kerry
Enjoy and Protect Award Winner 2021
Subowti, Co. Cork
Beach Clean Bubble Award Winner 2021
Keep Our Beaches Clean, Co. Mayo
Think Before You Flush Award 2021
Martina Butler – North West Sea Kayaking Association, Co. Sligo
Corporate Volunteering Award Winner 2021
Lidl Ireland
Amazing Efforts Award Winner 2021
Caroline Davy, Co. Cork