More than 100 people took part in a tribute beach clean in memory of a much-loved campaigner who dedicated his life to making a difference.
The beach clean took place at West Bay on Sunday, January 2 with around 130 litter pickers collecting a whopping 115.2kg of waste - about the weight of a giant panda.
It was all in memory of local man Simon Jordan, who died suddenly in December aged 51.
As reported, Mr Jordan was an environmentalist who was a well-known and popular member of the Bridport community who organised monthly morning swims and beach cleans at West Bay.
Touching tributes were paid to him following his death - with Mayor of Bridport Ian Bark describing him as 'a gentleman and a gentle man, larger than life, generous with his time for others and above all an inspiration to all he came in contact with'.
Picture: Litter Free Dorset
Roy Beal, organiser of the tribute beach clean and founder of the Clean Jurassic Coast group, said: “I was absolutely gobsmacked with how many people turned up. I started to give a little speech about Simon and when I stood up and saw how many people were there, I got a little bit emotional - I had to move onto the minute silence.
“Everybody went off in different directions. Some people turned up half an hour later, but more people just kept coming."
The litter pickers collected 17 full bags by midday.
The late Simon Jordan Picture: 5 Things Clear
Mr Beal said: “The weight we collected was a bit of a surprise because the beach was quite clean but because there were so many people, they went off down in ditches, round the river and all sorts. It wasn’t just the beaches it was the whole of West Bay that got a good clean.
“It was just phenomenal; people were so supportive, and everybody had either met or knew of Simon. I think people were just genuinely gutted to hear the news and wanted to share their support.”
Picture: Litter Free Dorset
It was an emotional day remembering the kindred spirit who impacted so many lives.
Mr Beal said: “We actually ran out of litter picking sticks. I’ve never done a litter pick like that before, it was amazing.
“Simon probably would have been embarrassed by all the attention and the amount of people there, in a humble way. But I think he would have been pretty chuffed with the amount of litter collected and proud of everybody who turned up.”
Mr Jordan’s monthly beach cleans will continue at West Bay – taking place on the third Sunday of every month, meeting at 10am outside the Watch House Café.
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