A SHOPPING centre is helping to combat pollution by organising beach and park cleans.

The Beacon shopping centre in Eastbourne will do its part in Plastic Free July by organising park and beach cleans followed by the Great Plastic Weigh-In.

Volunteers can take part in three plastic and litter cleans during the month, starting at 10am on Saturday, July 3, in the Terminus Road pedestrian area.

The other two events will take place July 10 in Gildredge Park in Vicarage Road, Eastbourne and Saturday, July 17 at The Beacon's adopted beach area, groyne 34, between 10am and midday.

Once all the plastic and litter has been collected, volunteers will bring it to the centre for The Great Plastic Weigh-In on large weighing scales that will be situated opposite Deichmann.

People who take part will receive a reusable cup or tote bag as a thank you.

Bill Plumridge, manager of The Beacon, said: "We wanted to do our part during the month to challenge everyone to contribute towards a plastic-free world.

"Sustainability is such an important topic, and even small actions like this can make a big difference.

"We'd like to encourage as many people as possible to come along and join us on these three Saturdays to pick up as much litter and plastic as possible, then see how much has been collected on our giant weighing scales."

The centre's community space – The Hut - will host mini weigh-ins on July 14 and 21 between noon and 4pm for shoppers who bring bags of single-use plastic to swap for a branded giveaway. This will be added to the final total of weighed plastic that will be announced at the end of the campaign.

Workshops will be held in The Hut - on the same dates as the mini weigh-ins - on how to create art with recycled material.

All the plastic collected will be used to create a piece of art with a local artist that will then be put on display.

To join any of the three litter picks, book in at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-great-plastic-weigh-in-tickets-160196139967.