It’s fabulous to find out about people from the yachting industry giving back to the countries they represent, and especially rewarding to learn of a charitable effort during the holiday season. Richard Lofthouse and Captain Jimmy Blee are always ready to help and support the places they visit. Richard shares his experience with words and pictures of Talahu, Indonesia (near Ambon), running a beach cleanup program with the local children.
Indonesia - Beach cleanup
“We want to let others know of our ongoing efforts to help outlaying communities with environmental programs, as they too can organize community support on the spot”, reports Richard Lofthouse of Asia Pacific Superyachts Indonesia.
Beach cleanup effort organised by Asia Pacific Superyachts Indonesia
APS Indonesia has a long record of ongoing commitment to give their yachting clients the best service possible while they are cruising through wonderful yacht charter destination – Indonesia; however, they also takes time to help outlaying communities with environmental programs.
Children cleaning up a beach in Indonesia - Cleanup organised by APS Indonesia
In early December 2013 with vessels arriving in four different ports, Richard says, “I found myself in the quaint harbor of Talahu (near Ambon), running a beach cleanup program with the local children. The project came about after seeing how the beach at Talahu was overrun with plastic and trash.”
Following a consultation with the local village head a bounty was put on every plastic bag collected by the children. The kids eagerly scoured the beach collecting all the rubbish and plastic they could find as the adults urged them on. The adults, in turn, neatly sorted and piled the rubbish in preparation for legitimate disposal.
INDONESIA - APS charitable effort - beach cleanup
“It was bedlam there for a while”, described Richard, “I could not have imagined how enthusiastically the children would have gone about this. The beach was clean in no time at all, impressing all onlookers, not least the visiting Captain who was well taken aback with the whole adventure.”
Commenting their efforts in Indonesia and that of Asia Pacific Superyachts sister regions throughout Asia and the Pacific, Richard and Captain Jimmy Blee note, “APS continues to strive to find time and effort to support and help local communities as the fascinating work of servicing visiting Superyachts takes us to so many unique and out of the way places.”
