Together we can turn the tide and save our coastline

As summer gets underway in earnest, millions of us will be heading to the coast.

- Hilary McGrady

We are a nation of beach-goers: no one in the UK lives more than 80 miles from the sea, and our shores and cliffs hold a special place in our national identity.

But the pristine beaches of Devon or South Wales or the wild Antrim Coast haven't always belonged to everyone - they were fought for and protected by many people over many decades.

And without that collective spirit, the coastline would've looked very different.

Nowhere tells the story better than the Durham coast. Through much of the 20th century, it suffered some of the worst coastal pollution in the world thanks to nearby collieries. During the height of the industry, 2.5 million tons of waste were dumped each year.

In fact, the sight of these blackened beaches was so arresting they were chosen as the backdrop for the opening sequence in the science fiction film Alien 3.

But the National Trust saw potential for nature to heal. In 1987, we purchased our first mile of the Durham coast. This marked the start of a new chapter for the landscape and a huge cleanup.