Nine-year-old girl from Portsmouth who's passionate about the environment organises beach clean at Eastney

Billie Harris has long been passionate about protecting the environment and is encouraging others to help her.

Friends, family and countless volunteers are planning to meet at Eastney beach on Sunday morning.

Debbie Harris, Billie’s mum, said her daughter planned the clean-up all by herself and hopes it’ll be a success.

She said: ‘Billie said to me ‘I know I can’t do a massive thing mummy, but if I can get lots of people to help and change their minds, together we can do more than we can do at home.’

‘It’s really sweet of her.’

‘She is so into helping the environment and wants to do all she can.’

The King’s Academy pupil was inspired to help the environment from reading the National Geographic magazine for children.

Since then, Billie has been attending an after school club, run by members of the Final Straw Foundation – a charity campaigning to protect oceans from pollution.

SEE ALSO: Frontline life-saving Portsmouth police officer named in News Year Honours

She’s been encouraging others to follow in her green footsteps, by writing letters to her local MP and companies such as Southern Water.

Billie has even made an Instagram account offering tips on how to be more eco-friendly.

One of those letters was to Penny Mordaunt, who passed it onto the Prime Minister.

The Portsmouth North MP is set to be at the beach clean alongside many volunteers.

It is due to start from 10am at the Ferry Road Car Park, and more information can be found here.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

Subscribe here for unlimited access to all our coverage, including Pompey, for just 26p a day.