Free wooden bellyboard hire in Braunton and Putsborough!
FREE WOODEN BELLYBOARD HIRE NOW AVAILABLE IN BRAUNTON AND PUTSBOROUGH THANKS TO MARSDENS DEVON COTTAGES.
Would you like to try out a wooden belly board for free? Thanks to Marsdens Devon Cottages we now have a selection of our wooden Protect our Playground bellyboards that you can hire for FREE from outside our office in Braunton (behind the Braunton Tesco) and at Nick Thorns Surf School at Putsborough. The boards will be officially available from our office from 16th August, between 9 - 4pm every weekday which can be conveniently dropped off at the gym if our unit is closed. Hire is available at Putsborough 7 days a week, during surf school hours.
This offering joins our 4 already successful hire partners that have been renting our boards out all summer to help raise both donations to our charity and spread our important Protect our Playground message. We also have over 10 amazing holiday accommodation providers that have chosen to purchase one of our boards as part of our 2021 Visitor Campaign so that their guests can enjoy them whilst they are on holiday without feeling like they have to go and buy one.
One of the main aims of our Protect our Playground project was to promote the use of bodyboards made from alternative materials to polystyrene. Over 16,000 cheap polystyrene bodyboards are discarded on UK beaches every year and in 2020 alone more than 400 boards were left in Croyde. With each board containing around one million polystyrene balls, these littered boards are a threat to both land and marine wildlife who mistake these balls for food. Braunton and Croyde have both held a voluntary ban of polystyrene boards earlier this year, and will not find the cheap, flimsy, cloth covered type in those areas. The hire options are intended to encourage people to use higher quality, more durable options and is the next step in reducing plastic waste in our area.
Claire Moodie from Plastic Free North Devon says: ‘It has been amazing to see the massive uprising in the amount of wooden belly board options for sale across our area. And now we are able to offer a free hire option for anyone wanting to spend time in the ocean. Plus if you're thinking of buying one, utilising our hire options first would be a great way to see if it's the right thing for you or your family. We are thrilled that Marsdens are supporting our work and are committed to helping us improve and protect our surrounding environment. With over 5 million visitors a year to the North Devon region, the tourism industry has a huge opportunity to positively influence and inspire the people that visit and in turn send ripple effects throughout the country’
We also want to take this opportunity to highlight the support Marsdens Devon cottages have given, and continue to give, through their guest booking system, which allows guests to optionally donate to one of their environmental charity partners upon booking. During last year's challenging year and into the beginning of this season they had already raised more than £1500 and are continuing to do so until next year. It's great to know businesses like Marsdens are dedicated to supporting PFND projects to help ensure North Devon wildlife and ecosystems are protected for residents and holidaymakers alike.
Gemma Davenport, Brand Manager for Devon, Original Cottages said; “We pride ourselves on being a truly local brand committed to keeping the coastline clean and safe for the local community and educating our holiday makers on how they can contribute towards sustainable initiatives during their stay.’
If you are a business interested in supporting our work please get in touch. plasticfreenorthdevon@gmail.com
Massive thanks also to Nick Thorns Surf School, Nalu Beads and the Braunton Gym for helping us to facilitate this FREE hire option and supporting our Protect our Playground campaign, it wouldn't be possible without them.