Issued: 24 May 2011
Angus Beaches Recognised With Seaside Awards
Scotland’s beaches provide the perfect place for a fun day out and on Monday 23 May 2011, awarding body Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB), announced that five Angus beaches will fly Seaside Award flags above their sands this year, including new award winner Monifieth.
Angus has received a Resort Seaside Award for Montrose, which has been flying the flag over its sands for eight years in a row, and Rural Award status for Carnoustie (six years), Arbroath (two years), Lunan Bay (two years), and Monifieth for the first time. This means that, for this year, Angus has the most beach awards it has ever been awarded, and all the designated bathing waters in its council area now have awards.
Councillor Jim Millar, convener of Angus Council Neighbourhood Services said: “I am delighted that we have achieved Rural Seaside Awards for our beaches at Lunan Bay, Arbroath, Carnoustie and Monifieth, as well as a Resort award for Montrose. Following a successful joint community application for Monifieth beach to become a new site under the Bathing Water Directive, we were able to make an application for a Seaside Award for the first time, as regular water quality testing will now be carried out by SEPA.
“I hope that local people and visitors alike will enjoy visiting these and the other beautiful beaches of Angus this summer. I’d like to thank members of the public for their part in keeping our beaches looking so unspoilt, by taking home their litter.”
The Seaside Award programme has been recognising Scotland's best managed beaches for 19 years, and this year 56 beaches have achieved award status.
There are two categories to the Seaside Award, one which recognises the more rural nature of Scotland's beaches and a second which is given to resort beaches. All Seaside Award winners, no matter which category they fall into must have well managed bathing water quality, good facilities where present, excellent litter management procedures, information provision and community involvement. Adequate safety measures must also be in place.
Derek Robertson, Chief Executive of KSB welcomed the announcement. He said: “Over the last 11 years the number of Seaside Awards in Scotland has more than quadrupled, there were just 13 in 2000, so I would like to pay tribute to all the hard work that goes in to achieving and keeping these awards by Angus Council and the local communities. And I would like to say a huge ‘congratulations’ for the outstanding results for Angus for this year!”
A map showing all the award winning beaches with descriptions, directions, facilities and pictures can be found at www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/coastal along with an option for people to rate their favourite award beaches.