More than 500 people turned out to clear Aberdeen’s beach of litter at the weekend after bouts of bad weather washed enormous amounts of rubbish onshore.
Community groups from across the city braved the January cold to de-clutter the sand on Saturday following an urgent appeal for volunteers on social media.
Among the helpers was Sumon Hoque of Aberdeen Muslims, who had been brainstorming ways to help those affected by the recent flooding.
Mr Hoque said: “Whatever little we can do to help will help, so we decided to set up a flood appeal.
“We have been looking at niche areas were others haven’t focused, so we thought parks and public spaces because the first priority is people’s houses.”
In the weeks leading up to Saturday’s event, the Aberdeen Muslims visited the waterfront to clear as much as they could before joining the larger appeal for a marathon clean-up.
Other organisations that took part included Surfers Against Sewage and the Marine Conservation Society.
Mr Hoque said: “We found things like tree logs and even a trolley.
“I don’t know how on earth it got there – it looked like a Morrisons supermarket trolley.
“There was some shredded clothing and pieces of rusting metal – random stuff all over the place.
“There were also dead fish that must have come onshore and suffocated in the sand.”
Mr Hoque said he delighted with the turnout and hopes to make the event a regular activity.
He said: “A lot of people got satisfaction from it.
“We hope to have something long term, maybe once a quarter.
“It’s down to the people of Aberdeen to make Aberdeen better.”