Jr Seal Ranger Theo

25/03/2024

23/03/2024

Photos from today with Denise Hone

23/03/2024

A massive thank you to everyone who joined Theo at the community litter pick this morning on Hemsby beach.
We were lucky with the weather. A very brief hail storm and rain at the end but sunny and clear otherwise.
23 Vattenfall team members, local community and family/friends turned out to clean up the beach and valley ahead of the upcoming season.
Thank you Montys Fish & Chips for the loan of equipment, for the use of your restaurant as a meeting point and for opening so we could buy celebratory chips.
I will post the official photos later but the statistics are below.

➡️ 23 people -adults and children,

➡️ 16 bags of litter collected

➡️ 72kg of litter removed from our local beach.

➡️ heaviest item was a huge rope tangled with more rope..weighing in at 13kg with the potential to endanger all manner of sea life. Removed as a team effort by 3 young litter pickers, Theo, James and Eli.

➡️ strangest item found? A typewriter!!

➡️ most suspicious item? A full set of car number plates thrown deep into a bush. 🤔

➡️ best part of the day..making new friends, seeing old friends and forging new connections and relationships to continue and expand our campaigns.

10/02/2024

Sorry it’s all been very quiet here. Mum deactivated her Facebook account when she went away for a weekend to rest and take a break. Unfortunately it’s taken her 2 weeks to figure out how to reactivate my page. 🙄 as some of you know I won the EDP young person of the year award 2023. The sponsors Vattenfall have requested I arrange a litter pick in March that their employees can help with. Mum will sort some dates out. But if anyone would like to join in, I will post details here. Would it be a good idea to stick around Hemsby/scratby/long beach valley etc?? Montys Fish & Chips would it be possible to borrow your litter pickers etc?
Thank you in advance.
Theo and mum x

22/01/2024

I wouldn’t normally jump on theos page for non litter picking subjects. But I know what a lovely group of supporters we have here and I need a little help. I hope you don’t mind.

As many of you who follow Theo will know, he (and his sister) have complex SEN needs, barriers to education. The government, media, nhs, department for education have jumped on the bandwagon this month and have a huge campaign going to address attendance issues, unfortunately currently their method is parent blaming and prosecuting parents for their child’s absences.

Unfortunately Theo’s older sister is currently out of school long term awaiting a specialist placement as trying to cope in the governments ‘one size fits all mainstream education system’ she has developed severe trauma due to her difficulties and needs (including learning difficulties, anxiety, autism, and sensory processing issues,) not being able to be accommodated due to funding and provision cuts in education, huge staff turn over, and lack of suitable special education placements. As a result she has been out of school for 15 months, barely leaves her room, in complete burn out and requiring professional support, therapy, and health and social care input.

Theo himself is due to go to high school this year, however due to his high level of sen needs, physical health and development concerns, he is awaiting a special school placement for September however these places are few and far between and if no place is found, theo will have no choice but to attend his local mainstream high school where he will be classed as a ‘vulnerable student’. And as much as I know the schools will try their best to support him unfortunately this goes far higher than our local schools.

My concern is that theo will follow the pattern of his sister and end up in long term non attendance and we as parents risk being fined, prosecuted and even jailed. Fortunately for us both my children have EHCP’s, diagnosis’ and professionals involved, (however even with that it has taken its toll on our mental health, relationships and employment) unfortunately thousands of other families (there are 50K families on our not fine in school Facebook group) are not in this position and we fear it’s a matter of time before the stress for those parents/children/families leads to tragedy.

We as a collective group of 50K + parents and professionals are trying to get our stories across in the media and public domain and I am hoping some of you will be kind enough to share the images, share the video (below in comments) or any reporters or those with links to news outlets may be able to help.

I want to reiterate that we personally are not and never will blame any of the local education establishments, they are working with us and supporting us to find a solution for my children. And unfortunately without funding, with sen provision being cut in schools and the recruitment and retention issues across the country with teaching staff, as well as lack of national neurodisability awareness training, these schools are unable to provide the high level of provision needed to the minority of students.

Please if you can help by sharing this I would really apprappreciate it xx
Hannah
(Theos mum)

21/01/2024

Sorry this page has been very quiet. Unfortunately due to the severity of coastal erosion at hemsby and the loss of our dunes, and beach. Currently it is very hazardous. So Theo is enjoying a break over the winter and staying warm and safe indoors.

30/11/2023

So I am extremely proud and pleased to announce that Jr Seal Ranger Theo has been named the EDP Norfolk and Waveney young person of the year 2023 for his litter picking and hard work protecting the local seal colony from litter entering our oceans. Was lovely to meet fellow litter picker finalists Dereham Community Litter Pickers well done for reaching the finals. Thank you everyone who has supported Theo over the past couple of years.
X
Keep an eye out for the EDP on Saturday for the official photos.

25/11/2023

Mum wanted to show me the damage to hemsby beach today caused by the tides. so we popped down. It was very sad to see. But I wanted to explore the beach. With the lifeboat crew consent we were able to access the beach and mum was glad we did as we spotted 3 baby seal pups. (Well mum heard them crying first so knew there were pups about and then we spotted them) 1 was only a few days old and very cold and wet. Mum and I checked on them. (From a safe distance). mum rang the seal rescue team to make sure they knew about these pups. And they did, they are monitoring them daily, but requested mum send them some videos. For those who don’t know my mum is a seal warden so knows who to call and what to do if we spot a seal. I was very worried about one of them who had been washed up by the tide and was very small but hopefully the medics will check it out or the mum will return to feed it and keep it safe.
In the mean time the beach continues to be unsafe due to the erosion, dangerous items being uncovered and debris from the collapsing dunes, so please try and avoid the area. And listen to the lifeboat crew if they are around. 😢😔

04/11/2023

Look what came up on my memories…! Theos first litter pick! 5 years ago!

05/09/2023

Just incase they follow this page, Thank you to the lovely visitors in Richardson’s today who gave their tickets to my son. You made his day. He was desperate to buy me something for 100 tickets and spend the rest on himself but that meant sacrificing what he really wanted as he didn’t quite have enough tickets, thanks to the kindness of strangers he was really happy to be able to get his Spud Gun! And buy me a cute bunny keyring. He is so caring and no matter how many times I told him he could use all the tokens himself he was adamant I wasn’t going to miss out! Bless him. ❤️

03/09/2023

Bit of a late one tonight! But half a bag of rubbish collected in less than an hour. Even searching by torch light in the end!

What is it with socks? No wonder the world has so many odd socks, the other of the pair seem to regularly enjoy a beach stay.😬🤦‍♀️

Cable ties also seem to have headed en-mass to the beach recently. Lots of them recovered from the sand.

25/08/2023

It’s Jr seal ranger Theos 10th birthday today 🎉

17/08/2023

So I was asked by my friend Maggie Hoyle if I would help her litter pick in the lay-by at scratby ahead of her charity equine car boot sale on Sunday, I was very happy to help Maggie.

14/08/2023

If anyone feels Theo deserves some recognition, for his hard work over the past few years. please feel free to nominate him for the local stars of Norfolk award. I know this would mean the world to him.

The Stars of Norfolk & Waveney Awards showcase the often unseen acts of kindness, bravery and selflessness that make our communities within Norfolk and Waveney so special. Now entering its 9th year these awards remain one of the highlights of the Norfolk events calendar.

13/08/2023

Just a quick post tp apologise that theo has been ‘missing in action’ recently, especially as it’s peak season for litter! Unfortunately the only days mum has had off from work, Theo has had numerous appointments for his educational difficulties and physical health issues. He has also started attending some care farm sessions to boost his confidence and well-being. (And when he hasn’t had appointments his sister has!) we are hoping to litter pick one evening this week. But we are still here and will do what we can.

17/07/2023

Hope it’s ok to post here. But as well as litter picking, seal wardening, working full time and being mum of 3, Theos PA, driver and general dogsbody. Theo’s mum is a volunteer with the Miniature Donkeys for Wellbeing.
Recently the MD of this amazing CIC has reached the final 3 of the just giving community hero award 2023. We would be extremely grateful for a few more votes from our lovely followers and friends. And to raise awareness of the amazing work they do bringing miniature therapy donkeys around the county to care homes, schools, prisons. Public events, and private visits.
Thank you

Voting is open for the 2023 GoCardless JustGiving Awards 2023!

10/07/2023

Theo was invited to speak to Jamie Theakston and Zoe Hardman on heart breakfast this morning.

09/07/2023

Another lovely evening on Hemsby beach with my little ‘half pint litter picker!’. We collected rubbish from the base of the dunes from hemsby gap to longbeach. Where we had to dispose of our first load of rubbish in the bin as it was too heavy!. We then walked back along the valley and car parks. Then back to the gap to finish up. The 2nd bag was quite heavy and theo struggled to lift it as it was almost as big as him!!! Lots of shards and broken glass exposed on the dunes and whoever has lost their caravan toilet it’s wedged between the sea defences in hemsby. 🤷‍♀️

It was so lovely speaking to local people who recognise theo and take the time to speak to us.

06/07/2023

As theo seems to be popping up in the media again at the moment. I thought I would just share a little reminder of why theo is so passionate about litter picking. Back in February 2023 we shared a difficult article about 2 ‘necklaced’ seals rescued by Friends of Horsey Seals from horsey beach due to injuries caused by rubber rings and debris in the sea.. East winch had a further 2 entangled seals brought in from our local beaches, in a short space of time.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=510978034568643&id=100069693531611

Theo has seen entangled seals first hand and wants to prevent this happening to other seals and all marine life.
The good news is after 3 months at RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre all 4 entangled seals were released back into the sea. Some of which were released at Horsey and I was fortunate enough to be there for the maleficent release.
Please follow friends of horsey seals and RSPCA east winch social media pages for more seal rescues and stories of the amazing work these organisations do. FOHS are very supportive of theos efforts to protect the seals.
Hannah (theos mum)

03/07/2023

A Fanta bottle dating from the 1960s has been found on a beach in Norfolk.

27/06/2023

Mum went for a quiet walk alone tonight along GY beach….look what she found, just left on the beach. She brought them all home so they don’t end up in the sea. They will be repurposed or donated. Plus a helium balloon intended for heaven but unfortunately these balloons don’t reach heaven and end up in the sea or in the countryside .

26/06/2023

So these are theos special finds from yesterday. A glass Fanta bottle from around 1960’s and a walkers cheese and onion packet from 1997 both of which have aged very well.

26/06/2023

A quick stroll to the beach last night and it was so lovely to see another young lad with his litter picker and bin bag. Theo found this tyre near the shoreline and insisted on removing it so it didn’t harm the seals, that did mean however rolling it from longbeach to the Gap to bring home!!
Once home theo asked me to create a ‘wave’ of rubbish that he could ‘surf’ on with the broken body board discarded by the lifeboat station and the the tyre! Another interesting post will follow with our favourite find from yesterday…..!
Lots of broken glass found on the base of dunes as more debris is exposed. And lots of children climbing/sliding/jumping down the dunes especially to the right of the Gap (looking at the sea) where the Marram’s road has collapsed.

01/06/2023

Shout out to Burak, my barber @ The Beach Cut Hair and Beauty for my cool new summer hair style!

16/03/2023

Please help. I want to get back litter picking at Hemsby beach as soon as possible but it’s too dangerous. Please sign the petition to get the government to help save our beach.

310 signatures are still needed! Save Hemsby Coastline!

01/03/2023

The nice man Craig at Montys Fish & Chips rang mum today, to talk about organising our Next community beach clean once the beach is safe again, Watch this space over the coming weeks for further details.…...

28/02/2023

Once the weather improves and our local beaches are safe again, I will be back litter picking to help prevent this.

21/12/2022

From Theos mum….

Theo visited a wishing tree yesterday when they went on the Santa steam train. He had 1 wish, that was that everyone in the whole world had a lovely Christmas, including the people in Russia and Ukrainian who are caught in the war and the children who’s mums and dads can’t afford much at Christmas. 😍🥰😘
Have a love Christmas everyone and thank you for supporting Jr Seal ranger Theo during 2022.

From theo and Hannah x

11/12/2022

Looking for seals at Friends of Horsey Seals. If you want to visit the seals please head to Horsey or winterton and stay behind the barriers. If you come across a seal on the beach stay well away and if a pup is alone call the seal wardens do not attempt to get close. the seals can be very aggressive and protective of their pup or they will abandon their pup and it will not survive.

11/12/2022

Sorry I have been a bit quite lately. With the cold weather and dangerous conditions on the beach the litter picking will resume next year. In the mean time I’m staying safe and warm indoors mostly. I do still have to go to the beach with mum but this time of year it’s because of Seals! Mum is a seal warden with Friends of Horsey Seals and this time of year the baby seals are born so sometimes I go with her to see the seals or check one out on our local beach incase it’s been abandoned. Mum even saw a baby seal being born and filmed it…you can watch below.
These are the seals I like to keep safe by removing the dangerous litter from the ocean.