The 2-minute clean up with The 2 Minute Foundation

Beaches, Charity and Sponsorship, Educational

Posted by Courtney Kelly on 14th March 2024

Two women on a pebble beach with litter pickers, either side of a 2 Minute Foundation A-frame

Have you got 2 minutes? Everyone does. But what could you do in 2 minutes? Could you learn to juggle? Could you empty the dishwasher? Or could you make a difference?

This spring, holidaycottages.co.uk is partnering with The 2 Minute Foundation to organise litter-picking stations at some of our customer-facing offices across the UK.

These stations are designed to encourage anyone passing to take 2 minutes out of their day to help clean up a tiny part of their world. It is our hope that this small change can have a much larger effect on people’s lives after they see the impact they can have. Read on to find out more or tap the button below to discover what else we're doing to become more sustainable.

Sustainable tourism


A crisp pack being put into a litter bag with litter pickers and two men, one in a wheelchair, collecting litter

FAQs

The 2 Minute Foundation is a national charity that aims to highlight the detrimental effects plastics have on the environment. Through a network of stations in various communities, social media campaigns, online resources and roadshows and events, the charity educates and encourages everyone to clean up our planet, 2 minutes at a time.

The charity’s vision is to live in a world where nature thrives, where litter and plastic don’t cause constant harm to our environment. In order for this to happen, action needs to be taken to protect our oceans’ health and that’s why the 2 Minute Foundation has a number of campaigns to help change the mindsets of anyone they come into contact with.


Three images. Two of people collecting litter on a beach and by a river, and one image of a gloved hand holding plastic nurdles

What we aim to do

Through our past work with the Marine Conservation Society, we’ve seen the importance of protecting our marine wildlife, including vital flora like seagrass. This partnership inspired us to do more and seek out other like-minded groups who want to protect our spaces, whether those spaces are beaches, parks or streets.

We care deeply about the communities where our guests stay. We already do a lot to support these communities, but now we’re giving our staff and anyone who visits our offices the chance to make a change too. Litter-picking stations, provided by The 2 Minute Foundation, will be placed at ten of our offices to give us the tools to help clear up our immediate environment. 

One image of a bright 2 Minute Foundation A-frame on a beach, and an image of a mother and daughter high-fiving whilst collecting litter on a pebble beach

These stations will consist of A-frame boards with litter pickers and bags attached, as well as information on what to do with the litter you find. In the past, the foundation has seen up to a 60% drop in litter in some of the areas with boards in place.

Many of our offices are near beautiful beaches and such is the longevity of these stations that we plan to use the boards for years to come. This means they’ll be available each September which coincides with the launch of the Marine Conservation Society Beachwatch campaign, allowing us to commence a two-pronged defence of our crucial coastline.


Three images. A group of children collecting litter on a beach, a young girl celebrating with her arms in the air, and a single-use coffee cup being put into a bin bag

Why we aim to do it

As we alluded to earlier, we don’t just believe in sustainable tourism from the sidelines – we want to be a part of it. We want to inspire and encourage not only our regional staff but also guests visiting our local communities and our holiday homeowners who live in the area – inspire them to keep the beaches they visit clean, alongside looking after busy streets and public spaces.

The 2 Minute Foundation has several campaigns allowing the public to do some good to help protect the flora and fauna found native near our homes. Some of the movements you can get involved in include:

  • #2MINUTEBEACHCLEAN – the first campaign which was started back in 2013
  • #2MINUTELITTERPICK – all litter leads to the ocean, no matter where it starts
  • #2MINUTESOFPOSITIVITY – looking after yourself as well as the planet
  • #2MINUTESOLUTION – sharing sustainable swaps with your community

A girl on a beach reaching for a single-use coffee cup with a litter picker and a similar image but in a park with a man in a wheelchair picking up a drinks can with a litter picker

We understand that sometimes an influx of tourism to an area can bring with it an increase in litter. As a company deeply rooted within the tourism sector, we aim to combat this, not only with words but with actions such as this partnership and urging our staff to use the equipment during lunch breaks to help clean the streets and beach. Whether this is for 2 minutes or 2 hours, these actions can cumulatively make a difference … although we don’t condone 2-hour lunch breaks!


Three images. A man, a woman and their dog crouched down on the beach sorting their rubbish, a plastic bottle being placed into a bin bag, and two men, one in a wheelchair, collecting litter in a park

How can you help?

To be inspired by how a little can go a long way and get educated about the dangers of plastic pollution, visit The 2 Minute Foundation to support their many campaigns.

If litter picking is on your mind, visit one of our offices and get involved in a street or beach clean. Call in at Seahouses in Northumberland or Hawkshead in Cumbria. There’s Bakewell in Derbyshire or Abersoch and Saundersfoot in Wales. Move east to visit Holt in Norfolk and Aldeburgh in Suffolk or head to the South West and drop into our offices in Fowey in Cornwall, Braunton in Devon or our headquarters in Bideford, Devon.

A map of locations of our 2-minute clean up A-frames


Our community work

Click the button below to learn about our commitment to national and local projects that benefit the environment and our local communities.

Sustainable tourism


All images courtesy of The 2 Minute Foundation

Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information at the time of writing, please ensure you check carefully before making any decisions based on the contents within this article.