The King and I: A very Royal Beach Clean
Event: Royal Beach Clean
Date: July 10th, 2025
Location: Deal, Kent
On July 10th, 2025, I got to see the King of England — His Majesty King Charles III — up close on a Royal Beach Clean. It is the first time I have been super close to King Charles and I loved being part of the pomp and ceremony of a Royal visit. It was right up my street, no crowds, on the beach and in the sunshine!
I was part of a small team representing Surfers Against Sewage on Deal Beach in Kent. Alongside SAS CEO Giles Bristow, Director of Campaigns, Dani Jordan, and Senior Communities Officer for Regional Reps Clare Osborn, I stood there as a Brighton Rep in my SAS tee — soaking in the sunshine and the surrealness of the day.
As I drove home, I began reflecting on what this moment truly meant.
Surfers Against Sewage and King Charles share something important:
They were both environmental outliers long before it was popular or trendy to be one.
They championed their causes long before hashtags, online influencers, and eco-trends on TikTok — back when the concepts of greenwashing and net zero were not yet known.
SAS began in 1990, on the sands of Cornwall, when a group of surfers decided enough was enough. Raw sewage was being pumped straight into the sea. People were getting sick after swimming. No one was talking about it — not the public, not the government, not the media.
So they fought back. And they’ve been fighting ever since.
From that grassroots rebellion, SAS has grown into a powerhouse environmental charity. Today, they don’t just campaign for cleaner seas — they take on plastic pollution, sewage spills, river health, climate action, and government accountability.
The Mission?
“We are a community dedicated to the protection of the ocean, waves, beaches and wildlife. We fight plastic pollution, sewage discharge, and climate breakdown through campaigning, education, and action.”
And it’s not just surfers anymore. They represent swimmers, paddleboarders, wild dippers, kayakers — anyone who feels the pull of the sea – that’s me, my boys, my mum, my swim family and my Friday Dippers!
A little bonus along the way – my friend and Senior Rep, Clare Osborn, met the King and had her photo featured in a Hello Magazine article covering the Royal Beach clean during a heatwave! That’s a good day’s work!
Need Inspiration: Check out last week’s What’s Hot in July
