Probation Team Keep Tyrella Tidy

The Business Planning and Development team from the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI) left office duties for the day on 6 August to take on the task of litter picking at Tyrella and Minerstown beaches, facilitated by Volunteer Now and the Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful charities.

PBNI has encouraged its staff to get involved in volunteering as part of a joint Corporate Social Responsibility and Health and Wellbeing initiative for its employees. To date, probation teams have volunteered at local animal shelters and environmental projects such as the beach cleaning at Tyrella and Minerstown beaches.

Prepared for potential thunder bolts and heavy rain, the probation volunteers were blessed with spectacular sunshine and delighted to slap on the factor 15 and leave the waterproofs in the car. There was no time for sunbathing though, such was the quantity of litter for to be picked up. Nearly 30 sacks of rubbish were collected on the day…  that reinforced to all the value of this important voluntary work.

[caption id="attachment_51545" align="aligncenter" width="540"]‘We had help’ l-r Paul McIlwaine, Ruth Hewitt, Louise Cooper, Rory Saville, Andrea Abraham, Brigid Dougherty and Niall O’Neil ‘We had help’: from left, Paul McIlwaine, Ruth Hewitt, Louise Cooper, Rory Saville, Andrea Abraham, Brigid Dougherty and Niall O’Neil.[/caption]]]>