A COLLABORATIVE effort between non-profit organisation (NPO) Adopt-A-Beach and Excellerate Services has seen great strides being made into making Virginia Beach cleaner and safer for the community to enjoy.
In February this year, a dedicated team of three people was announced who would clean the beach three days a week and help sort recyclable material.
Since then, slowly but surely, the transformation has continued with rubbish bins being added and overhanging vegetation cut back, and on Mandela Day last week, both the toilets and the storeroom were given a new lick of paint.
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New plumbing was also put in, and there are more changes to come with talks of installing CCTV cameras next.
Durban North resident and founder of Adopt-A-Beach, Janet Simpkins, said she has been blown away by the transformation.
“I think Virginia Beach is now safer and cleaner than what it was before. The dedicated team we have working here has worked hard to remove as much rubbish as they can. The addition of the bins with lids is also a welcome one as it prevents rubbish from flowing out of the tops onto the beach. If you came here in the past, there would be rubbish strewn everywhere, and the atmosphere wasn’t the best.
“We’ve also seen more people return to the beach to enjoy the space again. Virginia is one of the few beaches on this stretch that has ample parking, ablution facilities and such a great view of Durban. I must commend not only Excellerate but all the stakeholders who’ve come on board to transform Virginia Beach. Another important aspect of this transformation is community involvement: We host monthly clean-ups on the last weekend of every month, and that has been well supported. This is also a great way for local schools to get involved in helping keep our environment clean,” she said.
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Barry Smith, regional operations director at Excellerate Services, said that more changes are in the pipeline, including the repair of brick paving at the entrance to the beach.
“Because Janet has a relationship with the municipality, it has made it easier for us to do what is necessary to help keep the area safe. We’ve undertaken to put bins in and put in cameras, and we’ve also had plumbers partner with us to fix the leaks in the toilets here at the beach. There are still a few things to improve on, but overall, the project has really paid off. I would love to see more of the community make use of the space. Many residents I’ve spoken to say they’ve felt unsafe coming here while also not enjoying the litter and rubbish strewn across the sand. I feel this project has positively impacted the community,” he said.
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