Surfers Against Sewage is an environmental charity founded in 1990 by surfers in Cornwall to improve water quality and protect the UK's oceans. They educate communities about conservation, organize beach cleanups that have removed over half a tonne of litter, and advocate for policies to address issues like water pollution, plastic waste, and threats to surfing areas. Some of their successes include educating over 1,000 students about ocean conservation and engaging companies like Haribo to improve packaging and reduce litter. They continue working to enhance ocean protections and gain recognition for surfing as part of UK heritage and culture.

1. Name: Jonah Adshead
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2. The client:
Overview of the client.
Who are they?
Surfers Against Sewage is an environmental charity with the aim of protecting the UK’s oceans so that all
may enjoy them safely and sustainably. They are widely recognised as the a charity that has significantly
improved bathing water quality right around the UK.
When did they start?
The SAS was started in 1990 by a group of passionate local surfers in the coastal village of St Agnes.
Why did they start?
They started because they wanted to improve water quality and ensure that not just surfers, but the
whole community realise the importance of protecting our seas.
What do they do?
The charities objectives are;
•To undertake and promote for the benefit of the public the conservation, protection, improvement and
ecologically sustainable management of the marine environment including associated land, shoreline and
structures.
•To advance the education of the public in the conservation, protection, improvement and ecologically
sustainable management of the marine environment including associated land, shoreline and structures.
To meet these objectives the SAS create volunteering opportunities like beach cleans, they educate
communities and ensure that they influence the government, they promote any scientific, economical or
health related evidence that supports their views and they challenge industries to adopt better standards
in order to protect our coastal environment.
How are they funded?
The SAS generates income through a number of different methods. They use membership subscriptions,
donations, merchandise sales, fundraisers and sponsorship to ensure that they have enough money to
continue.

3. The issues:
Your client advocates on a number of different yet related issues.
What issues your client campaign on?
My client campaigns on water quality, climate change, marine litter, toxic chemicals, protecting waves
and shipping.
Some of the specific campaigns they have started are the Break the Bag Habit, a campaign against the
use of plastic bags that often blow away or are even thrown in to the ocean and damage wildlife or the
environment.
Mermaids’ Tears is a campaign calling for industries that use small resin pellets in the production of
plastic products to ensure they are more careful with them. Many of these small plastic pellets are lost
and are washed down drains rather than cleaned properly/ From the drains they end up in the sea and
have a very damaging effect on wildlife who often mistake them for fish eggs and eat them.
They are campaigning against fats, oils and grease. These are poured down sinks and block sewer pipes
then causing sewage overflows in the sea. This campaign is called Be FOG Free.
Sewage Related Debris (SRD) is the name for when sanitary items such as ear buds, condoms and razors
are flushed down the toilet and end up in the sea. Here they have a terrible effect on the marine
environment. SAS are campaigning against this calling on people to “Think Before You Flush!”.
A beach called Broad Bench is home to one of the best surfing spot in the UK that happens to be on the
border of the MoD firing range was decided by the MoD to be closed to the public 228 days a year. On
International Surfing Day over 350 surfers and supporters participated in a paddle out protest against the
ban. This large following for the protest gained quite a lot of publicity but unfortunately the SAS are still
campaigning against the ban with the MoD refusing to meet up to make a compromise.

4. The issues:
Your client advocates on a number of different yet related issues.
What are some of the impacts they have managed to achieve?
In February 2014 the SAS delivered an educational programme called Seas For Life to over 1000 students
in North Devon. They held lots of different activities to educate the children on the importance of
keeping the sea clean and pollutant free. The programme had an extremely positive response and has
helped educate the future generations so they will be able to continue the work of the SAS.
In June 2011 the SAS held a beach clean on two beaches in Cornwall to which over 300 people attended
and cleared over half a tonne of litter and rubbish. This made a huge change to the quality of water,
safety of public and wildlife and made a huge aesthetic improvement on what it was like before.
The campaign Return To Offender when the SAS called for people to send identifiable marine litter back
to the manufacturers and distributers. They send this along with a message that can be downloaded from
the SAS website calling for the company to improve the design, produce and sell their products to reduce
the impact on the environment. This won the Coast Magazine’s Best Campaign of 2009 and gained quite a
lot of recognition and publicity. In 2014 Haribo approached SAS after receiving several items of packaging
back. The SAS advised how to improve the Haribo anti-litter message and Haribo have since updated their
anti-littering advice. Similar conversations have also occurred with several other companies including
coke.
What are they still hoping to achieve?
The SAS are hoping to continue to improve the standards of the UK’s oceans, waves and beaches so that
all can continue to enjoy them safely and sustainably.
They also want to gain better recognition for waves and surfs sports in the UK and believe they should be
seen as a part of UK heritage. They are trying to get this recognition and protection for the sports
through political debate and legislation. (Related to this is the protests to get back Broad Bench Beach.
Greater protection of waves and surf sports would ensure that beaches like this that are a hotspot for
athletes in this field could not be closed.

5. Facts and figures:
Use this space to highlight key facts and figures related to this project. These
could be very useful later on in your project as you try to raise awareness.
•6.4 million tonnes of litter enters sea yearly.
•70% of marine litter sinks, 15% floats.
•A plastic bottle could last 450 years in the marine environment if left on a beach.
•The amount of marine litter found on UK beaches has more than doubled in the last 15 years.
•300,000 whales, dolphins and other cetaceans are killed annually by fishing equipment.
•4.5 trillion cigarette butts litter the environment each year.
•One cigarette pollutes 8 litres of water with toxins such as arsenic and lead.
•around 8 million individual pieces of litter enter the ocean every day.
•£18 million is spent annually on cleaning beaches by local authorities.
•The UK’s world class beach at Broad Bench is off limits for up to 228 days a year.
•The majority of marine litter is made of plastic, a material that never truly breaks down.