Beachcombers

This documentary explores the pastime and livelihoods associated with beachcombing in the South West.

This film is a portrayal of the characters that have associations with the beach where they live and who make a livelihood working between the tides. Barney Hansford was also known as the fossil man of Charmouth who for decades exhibited his collection of fossils near Charmouth Beach in Dorset. Ginny Arnold uses seine-haul fishing techniques at Chesil Beach in Dorset where nets set offshore are held down by weights and buoyed by floats and hauled onto the beach.

Ginny sells the catch to local wholesalers. Robert Troake and Jim White are wardens of Slapton Ley Field Centre and Nature Reserve and help protect the ecosystem of the shingle beach and freshwater lake. Brendan Sellick of Stolford is the third generation of fishermen to work the mudflats in Bridgwater Bay. His sledge is also known as a mud horse and his catch of shrimp and fish are sold locally. Len Martin collects razorfish or razor clams, a shellfish delicacy at Torre Abbey Sands in Torquay. Irene Jones of Bude in Cornwall is an artist who paints and sells pebbles. Richard Cormery is a driftwood artist from Widemouth in North Cornwall. All have one thing in common; they are beachcombers.