ED ISLAND
agers don’t think about these gs. Even I was like that at the start. hought, ‘ What am I doing? I’m osed to be mountain biking but ere with a broken arm.’ ut once I thought about it all, I how cool it was and realised that don’t need to be a green freak to volved. My friends think it’s good too.” surprisingly, Luke’s actions have is parents Mark, 38, Helen, 37, and ger sister Natasha, 12, very proud. ark, a hotel maintenance manager, “He came back from his first ing buzzing so we fully support
e is dedicated. He takes the bus to meetings and he’ll miss out on time with his mates to go and he will finish work early if he needs to.
“We’re surprised at his maturity. It’s conservation work and we’re incredibly proud.”
Luke was born on Arran and the family home sits a stone’s throw from the beach in Brodick.
And he feels a special connection with the place.
He added: “Everything about the place is special – the atmosphere and the scenery. It’s hard to explain but it’s true when people say it’s like Scotland in miniature. It feels like you’ve stepped back in time.”
It was Mark who spent time with Luke on the shoreline and the ex-Navy man and RNLI member gave him a respect for the sea.
So too did lifeguard mum Helen, who swam the waters with Luke.
Now he spends as much time in it as possible and tries to go in every day.
He said: “I’ve never been scared of the water.
“I’m educated enough to respect it. You do have to brave the cold but after a while it’s fine.
“Sometimes you can’t spend too long in it.”
When he snorkels around Brodick, the picture is not quite as rosy as it is in Lamlash Bay.
But Luke can still see the beauty below. And he’s hoping Coast’s No Take Zone will spread to Brodick in time.
He said: “There’s no protection at the moment where I live. But it’s still nice to be in the sea and to find something. Even if it’s just shore crabs or to see baby fish.
“Sometimes I’ll see rubbish too – you always will. If I do see something, I’ll always pick it up.”
Coast are adding to Arran’s growing green credentials. The island is bidding to become Scotland’s first plastic-free island.
Luke said: “If we don’t care, it’s going to go away and we’ll never see it again.
“If Coast hadn’t started, there ere would be no sea life lef t in Lamlash Bay.
“Sometimes, the fact that you ou can’t see it happening means people ple don’t care and, in a way, it is hard ard to sell.
“It’s not as obvious as trees being ng cut down. But in a way it makess a bigger impact when people do take ke action because they knew so little tle beforehand.”
In the end, Luke’s message, like ke Coast’s, is simple.
He added: “If we all did a little le bit, it would make such a huge ge difference.”