IT WAS cheers all round as Widemouth Task Force celebrated success on Widemouth Bay, retaining and raising its iconic Blue Flag, with beers from sponsor Sharp’s Brewery.

Blue Flags and Seaside Awards are only awarded to coastal destinations that boast the highest qualities of water, facilities, safety, keep clean programmes, environmental education and management.

Rock-based Sharp’s Brewery has been helping ensure Cornish beaches are amongst the best in the world, by continually stepping up to ensure the county has more iconic Blue Flags and Seaside Awards, flying over the coastline, than any other part of the UK.

Surrounded by rugged wild beauty at its home in North Cornwall, multi-award winning Sharp’s Brewery is giving back to the coast that inspires its creativity, providing vital funding for the 2017 Blue Flag and Seaside Award applications, in Cornwall and beyond.

At the flag-raising ceremony in Widemouth Bay, led by Widemouth Task Force, the group’s founder, Ado Shorland, said: “We’ve done it again! For the third year running, Widemouth Bay has received the two highest accolades in beach care and facilities, making it one of the top places to visit in the country!”

With a lot of hard work from Widemouth Task Force, the RNLI, Poundstock Parish Council, Biffa, Keep Britain Tidy and funds from Sharp’s Brewery, Widemouth beach successfully fulfilled the criteria needed for both awards.

With over 1,500 members and with the help of the community helping out with consistent beach clean programmes, Widemouth Task Force has been passionately maintaining the beach to high standards and care.

Ado said: “Widemouth Bay successfully receiving the prestigious Blue Flag award and the Seaside Award is a huge pat on the back to all the volunteers involved in helping to keep Widemouth beautiful, and somewhere locals can be proud of.

“The awards have again nailed Widemouth firmly on the map of places locals love and visitors want to check out and keep returning to.

“Our well-known saying is, ‘Loving Where We Live’, and both the Blue Flag and Seaside Awards prove to everyone — we really do!”

The iconic Blue Flags, an international quality mark for beaches, reassure visitors and locals alike that Cornwall’s beautiful beaches are clean, safe and recommended, boosting tourism, business and helping inspire return visits.

To make this possible, in 2017, 5p from every pint of Sharp’s limited edition beers — Two Tides, Rye Rock, Dawn Patrol, Fathoms Deep and Doom Bar Reserve — will be contributed to the prestigious Blue Flag initiative.

Thanks to the funding from Sharp’s Brewery, the iconic Blue Flags will fly over Gyållyngvase in Falmouth, Porthminster and Porthmeor in St Ives, alongside Polzeath, Porthtowan, Widemouth and Trevone.

Porth in Newquay, plus Summerleaze and Crooklets beaches in Bude, have been awarded with a Seaside Award again this year, whilst Perranporth, Great Western Beach in Newquay and Sennen have been awarded the Seaside Award for the first time.

James Nicholls, senior brand manager at Sharp’s Brewery, said: “With Sharp’s Brewery being based in Rock, North Cornwall, the coastline and our beaches are deeply important to us. We are delighted to have supported the Blue Flag initiative over the last two years, raising over £28,000 through a 5p donation, per pint, of our exceptional, limited release beers. We are extremely proud to be supporting the coastal community again, helping these beautiful beaches obtain and retain the prestigious Blue Flag and Seaside Awards that they so highly deserve.

“The Blue Flag initiative does a fantastic job of supporting beaches and communities in coastal areas, and we are pleased to be supporting the charity again within our heartland of Cornwall.”

Widemouth Task Force operate monthly beach cleans on Widemouth Bay and in the Bude area. To find out more and get involved, visit twitter.com/widemouthtaskforce or Facebook.

This June and July, 5p from every pint of Rye Rock sold will be donated to the worthwhile cause, with the sale of the other limited edition beers to follow throughout the summer and into the autumn and winter.