Cleanse and Clean

FUNDRAISING AND AWARENESS RAISING CAMPAIGN - CLEANSE & CLEAN

Plastic Free North Devon has said goodbye to 2020 and is saying hello to 2021 with a fundraising and awareness campaign dedicated to cleansing and cleaning across North Devon throughout January and February. 

2020 was a tough and unpredictable year in numerous ways, but for many of us, it has increased our appreciation for nature. Our northern Devon visualization survey reflected this with over 70% of respondents stating that they appreciated nature, wildlife and the environment more and 89% would like to spend more of their free time outside. We know that being outdoors can hugely benefit our mental health by relieving stress and improving our happiness and this campaign is about encouraging people to do just that whilst giving back to the environment at the same time. With over 85% of respondents stating that they were interested in supporting wildlife and the environment,  this is a perfect way to start.

Like most charities, Plastic Free North Devon is suffering from the unpredictability of current and future funding streams and are desperate to raise core funds to help stabilise the charity and ensure its longevity to enable us to keep delivering on our mission well into 2021 and beyond.  Whilst we’ve always shied away from leaning on the community to help fund our work, we have realised that fundraising could play an important part in keeping  our community focused action, alive and kicking.

Unfortunately our original ‘Cleanse and Clean’ campaign has had to be slimmed down due to latest lockdown restrictions meaning we were no longer able to run our weekly  organised cleans. We are now solely relying on the individual action aspect of the campaign which means it's down to everyone  to get involved and make a difference. 

How YOU can  get involved:

We would like individuals to take part by performing ‘Cleanse and Clean’ actions whenever and wherever they choose. We would like people to share  their action on social media by tagging us in any posts @plasticfreenorthdevon and tagging 3 friends, use the hashtags #cleanseandclean  and #plasticfreenorthdevon and encouraging donations to Plastic Free North Devon via our JustGiving donation page  

The cleansing action  can be anything that involves getting outside to give the feeling of ‘blowing away the cobwebs’. This could be a walk, a jog, a cycle, a dip in the sea, a surf or just a run around in the rain. We would then like individuals to follow their action up with giving back to nature by cleaning during or after their activity, and/or donating.

To further encourage the younger generation to get involved, in Feb 2021 we launched a competition for  school pupils in northern Devon (North Devon and Torridge) in which they have the opportunity to win a dryrobe® Advance.  Each entry was entered into the draw to win. To see the winners please see our instagram post.

Immersing ourselves in nature to relieve stress and improving happiness is only going to be possible in the future if we take care of our planet - this campaign is aimed at encapsulating both.

Happy Cleansing and Cleaning!

You can see more information about our campaign on our website or social media pages. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter


Anne-Marie Eveleigh