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Big Dee Day launch fast approaching

Published: 07/09/2017

This year’s Big Dee Day #BigDee17 will be launched on Friday 15 September at 9:30am at Wepre Park, Connah’s Quay. This year’s launch is sponsored by McDonald’s and this annual clean-up event, which will take place over several days, is being coordinated by Flintshire County Council with staff from the neighbouring councils of Cheshire West and Chester, Denbighshire, Wrexham and Shropshire and Natural Resources Wales McDonalds has been involved with the Big Dee Day for many years and this year there will be over 14 people from the seven restaurants in Flintshire and Wrexham run by franchisee Stewart Williams out in force on 20 September litter picking on Talacre beach. They have also helped Flintshire Rangers with bulb planting, stream clearing, tree planting and other tasks over the last few years at other times of the year. This is the third year that Tesco has been involved and they will have around 150 staff out in all of the six counties. The volunteers will be undertaking various tasks including planting gorse, litter picking and scrub cutting in Greenfield. They will also be litter picking on Snowdon and removing trees from Moel Famau. Around 40 organisations will take part in this year’s event, which has grown from strength to strength since it was first held 11 years ago. These organisations include McDonald’s, the RNLI, Coleg Llyfasi, Ysgol Gwynedd, Connah’s Quay High School, Friends of Bagillt foreshore, Sustrans, Kingspan, Holywell Scout Group, Friends of Wepre Park, Tesco, Toyota and Airbus. All those involved work hard to clear the river and marine litter that washes up along the River Dee and paint and care for the special places along its banks and coast, from the Welsh mountains to the coastal habitat of the Dee estuary. Councillor Carolyn Thomas, Cabinet Member for Countryside, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who continues to support this incredibly successful event and would particularly like to thank McDonald’s for sponsoring our launch event this year. Its aim of cleaning our coastline for visitors and wildlife is being achieved. This, hand in hand with the Wales Coast Path works, makes our coastline well and truly worth a visit. As a cross border event we are tackling a national and worldwide problem with people, business and communities in Flintshire.” Flintshire Countryside Ranger, Tim Johnson, said: “The event brings so many groups and organisations together with a common goal, it’s fantastic. Tesco has once again attended all the meetings to help prepare for the event over the course of the year, this sort of support shouldn’t go unnoticed.”