Rockfish – “a force for good” says Gary Jolliffe
28th January 2019
Rockfish Brixham, the seafood restaurant owned by Devon restaurateur, Mitch Tonks, has raised £2,000 for local enterprise Till the Coast is Clear.
Rockfish has started the new year raising funds for local organisation Till the Coast is Clear, handing over the first cheque of many that will be paid over the coming year. The restaurant group actively support charities and neighbourhood organisations at each of its restaurants with causes closely related to the communities in which they live and work. In addition to Brixham, there are restaurants in Dartmouth, Torquay, Plymouth and Exmouth and they are opening in Exeter in March and in Poole, Dorsetlater in the summer.
Till the Coast is Clear, founded and run by Gary Jolliffe, tackles the marine plastic pollution that is on the increase. They operate a specialist vessel called Coast Clear One which is capable of accessing remote and difficult to reach locations that general beach cleans can’t get to. They have a zero to landfill policy and work with specialist resource recovery partner Coastal Recycling to ensure all waste is either recycled or used for energy generation.
Restaurateur Mitch Tonks, CEO of the Rockfish restaurants, said: “What Gary is doing locally is amazing, real grass roots stuff, trying to find local solutions to some of the huge environmental problems we’re all facing and really get things done. He’s an inspiration and it is fantastic to be able to offer some support from us and our restaurant customers to help him continue this great work”.
Gary Jolliffe, said “Since establishing Till the Coast is Clear I have been constantly amazed by two things. One of these unfortunately is the shear volume of plastic and other marine pollution that we find every time we venture out. The other is the strength of feeling of the public and the businesses we interact with and none more so than Rockfish. People really care about this issue and recognise that we are all responsible for helping to clean up the mess we have made and for living more sustainably in the future. Rockfish are a shining example of how business can be a force for good, striving as they are to minimise their impact on the environment and contributing as they do to many local charities, community interest companies and social enterprises. With help from Rockfish and their generous customers, we have been able to make a positive and lasting difference to the environment in South Devon and are looking forward to ramping up our efforts so that we can proudly say our shorelines not only provide the best sustainable seafood, but are also amongst the cleanest in the world".