Harrison Drury joins forces with local business partners to clean up the Morecambe coastline

Socks, bottles and a bike were just some of the items collected when volunteers from the Harrison Drury team embarked on a mission to clean up Morecambe’s coastline.

The litter picking activity held in September saw team members from across the firm’s offices, join forces to take to Morecambe promenade with litter pickers and bin bags to clean up the popular beach front.

They were joined by business partners including representatives from Azets, Barclays Bank, Handelsbanken, MHA Moore and Smalley, TP Financial Solutions, Richard P Taylor, Bay Insurance Brokers and Brewin Dolphin.

In just under two hours, the 17 litter pickers collected nearly 20 bags of rubbish including plastic drink bottles, cans and food packaging as well as several items of clothing. They even pulled a bike out of the tidal sand.

Inspired by the Harrison Drury’s corporate social objectives to give something back to the community, litter picking was put forward as a group activity to the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team.

Associate solicitor Rebecca Patience, who is also our CSR lead, said: “It was proposed earlier this year that we should organise a beach clean, given that we have several offices servicing coastal towns in Lancashire and Cumbria and it’s such a beautiful coastline.

“We are increasingly focussing our CSR objectives to include activities that give something back to the environment. Our effort to clean the Morecambe beach front was well received by both participants and the local people.”

The team worked in close partnership with Lancaster City Council, who supplied litter pickers, high vis jackets and bin bags to support the activity. The council then arranged to collect the bags of litter.

Hannah Pinder, a trainee solicitor, based at our Preston office said “I was very surprised by the amount of litter that we collected in just over an hour. It was nice chatting with local people and see our efforts generate a positive conversation among them about the importance of taking steps to look after our environment.”

Senior associate, Jack Stephenson, based in the firm’s Lancaster office said: “It was lovely to get out of the office and spend time doing something really positive down in the Bay. In fact, we all got a bit competitive, seeing who could collect the most litter and find the most unusual item. Finding an old bike in the sand certainly put me in the top spot for the most unusual item.”

After the litter picking, the team and volunteers enjoyed a drink and a good natter in Brew Me Sunshine, a local social enterprise café based in Morecambe, where all profits go back into the local charity Galloways.

Rebecca added: “It was really touching to see the local business community come together to make such a positive effect to our coastline. We live in such a beautiful part of the country, and it is important that we all do our bit to preserve and maintain that beauty for future generations.

As part of our CSR policy, Harrison Drury believes with a passion that our firm has an important role to play in society and creating healthy and thriving communities. We strive to make it possible for our communities by giving something back to charities, not-for-profit organisations, community groups and education providers, whether it’s through financial donations, pro-bono advice or simply by volunteering our time to help with activities such as litter picking.

“We hope to make this a regular event at different coastal locations across Lancashire and Cumbria and encourage clients and business partners to join in and take part.”

Pictured above are some of the Harrison Drury team that took part in the litter picking: Lucy McKevitt, Caryss Grilli, Hannah Pinder, Chloe Wishart and Peter Barlow.