Tim Waggott, Chief Executive, Port of Dover,
OPEN LETTER
30 March, 2015Â
Tim Waggott
Chief Executive – Port of Dover
The suggestion that Shakespeare Beach is the dirtiest beach in Kent came from a recent survey by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) conducted on one day last September. The idea that the beach is dirty purely because of wet wipes is untrue and yet another example of how we seem to be doing ourselves and our community down.
The MCS points out that no judgment can be made on which is the dirtiest beach from any of their results and monitoring. Working together with the White Cliffs Countryside Partnership, scores of local volunteers, including those from the Port of Dover, have been playing their part to keep Shakespeare Beach clean.
The beach is part of Dover and another of the assets we should all be using and preserving for everyone’s benefit and we actively support initiatives such as the Great British Beach Clean which saw scores of volunteers working selflessly for our community.  The amount of litter collected in the September survey is a reflection of just how many people were volunteering to play their part, caring for and being proud of their home town.
Most of the litter found on Shakespeare Beach is in fact marine litter washed up from the sea.  If we want cleaner beaches and to make better use of them, more local businesses to thrive and more people to visit Dover, then we all have to work together. I can categorically say that the Port is and will play its part.
Without any political inference, it is true to say the economy is on the up; we know this at the Port as our freight traffic figures and passenger numbers are growing year on year. Whilst dealing with the practicalities of how we handle this, which we are doing together with our partners, we must grasp the benefits of this for us all – from the opportunities for local businesses to the wider community. Through a whole variety of ways, we are seeing the Port and the town of Dover come together with so many opportunities to grasp.
So let’s pull together and talk about what we are doing to talk Dover up instead of down. We must all get behind what matters to make this community strong and prosperous.
Ends
Tim Waggott
Chief Executive – Port of Dover
