Cisk Lager is supporting Coast is Clear, an all-year round clean-up campaign spearheaded by ex-water polo player Mark Galea Pace, Simonds Farsons Cisk plc, the company behind Malta's beloved Cisk Lager, announced on Monday.

Born and raised in Gozo, Mr Galea Pace has always been surrounded by nature and the sea, and he is passionate about the outdoors, enjoying camping, trekking, and canoeing.

However, after noticing the extent of pollution and littering in Malta, he took it upon himself to start clearing litter and debris from Malta’s coastline, both by land and by sea.

Gradually, these one-off clean-up events became an organised campaign named Coast is Clear, attracting volunteers from different backgrounds.

The events are described as clean-ups with a difference, as they are treated like an adventure.

Mr Galea Pace goes out of his way to make the activity fun for himself and his volunteers by including music, food and drinks at the end of the sessions.

While the campaign’s main aim is to “clear our country of litter”, the second aim is “to raise awareness through social media and to grab people’s attention by showing them what is happening out there,” he said.

“Raising enough funds to carry out the clean-ups and getting a team of volunteers together remains an ongoing challenge,” Mr Galea Pace continued.

He stressed that there are several ways people can help the environment, such as by disposing of waste responsibly, especially when outdoors, by picking up litter, and also by reporting instances of littering.

“We need to take pride in our country and help improve the environment for ourselves and our children,” Mr Galea Pace concluded.

Cisk Brand Executive Steve Borg voiced his pleasure at supporting Coast is Clear through Cisk, adding that “We always encourage our consumers to dispose of their waste responsibly and we now also encourage them to join Mark in a clean-up activity or two any time of year.”

Volunteers are invited to join Mr Galea Pace in winter by truck, or else in summer by boat.

He can be contacted through Coast is Clear's social media pages.

Since its launch in 1929, Cisk has grown to become “the natural choice and thirst quencher for beer drinkers,” while staying true to its original recipe.

The brand is owned by Simonds Farsons Cisk, which has plenty of local and international brands under its control.