Wirral’s very own mermaid
November is a really busy month with lots and lots going on around the globe. From climate change at COP 26 (UN Global Climate Change Conference) to tackling mental health November has some really serious topics to discuss.
In celebration of National Stress Awareness Day, ZILLO Young Reporters sat down with Becks Gilmore, Wirral’s very own mermaid, to talk to her about all things ocean, volunteering and mental health.
Becks Gilmore is a student marine biologist, Surfers Against Sewage Volunteer, British Divers Marine Life Volunteer and ocean conservationist and all round awesome person.
ZILLO: Concern around climate change and the impact of people on the planet can feel pretty stressful and overwhelming. How can young people take control of how it may be making them feel?
I grew up in Wirral surrounded on all sides by the ocean. So I have always spent time around the coast and have always felt drawn to it. I have seen a lot of change in that time around our coastline and for me the coastline is really important. I got involved in ocean conservation initially by joining in with some local beach cleans around Wirral for national charities like Surfers Against Sewage. It was really sad to see so much plastic and waste around our beautiful coastline that I felt I really needed to take a more active role in protecting our planet. I think that taking time to think about the things that are stressing you out and then doing something about it really is the best way to get control of how you are feeling especially with things like climate change or ocean conservation.
ZILLO: You said you volunteer for some charities how did you get involved in that and how has it impacted you?
Like I said I started really by just attending some beach cleans around Wirral and through this found an opportunity to take a more active role in the action through becoming a Regional Rep for Surfers Against Sewage and since then also volunteering for British Divers Marine Life.
Volunteering for me has been an amazing experience. It has taken to places, and people I would have never had the opportunity to have met. Volunteering has helped me to massively increase my confidence and self esteem and has been key to me taking the step of going back into education to study Marine Biology at Bangor University in North Wales. Volunteering has really changed my life and although it comes with it’s own stress sometimes the rewards are incredible.
ZILLO: What has been the most stressful thing you have experienced around ocean conservation?
I was on holiday in Bali, Indonesia, and was paddling out on my surfboard for what I thought would be the idyllic surf of my life when all of a sudden I found myself surrounded by a smog of plastic floating on the surface of the sea. This was so stressful that to be in such a beautiful place and to see it so damaged by all this plastic was heartbreaking. I had a GO PRO camera on my surfboard and I started picking up the plastic around me to show the camera just how bad it was.
I posted the video online and it went viral being picked up by news networks around the world. This was pretty stressful but it highlighted that even in places people think are paradise like Bali the effect of human pollution on the planet is still very visible and needs to be stopped.
ZILLO: How would a young person be able to get started volunteering?
I think first you should think about the issues that matter most to you. Volunteering doesn’t have to be giving up all your free time but by stepping up and getting involved you are making a real impact and helping to bring about positive changes. Get online, look or the organisations that are working on the same issues as you are interested in and send them an email. Give volunteering a go and you’ll definitely start to feel less stressed in way more control of the issues that matter most to you.
You can stay up to date on what Becks is up to by following her on Instagram rebekah_mermaid
Information on protecting our oceans, rivers and beaches can be found over at Surfers Against Sewage