A THOUGHTFUL Gourock youngster decided to put his school holidays to good use - by cleaning up a beach.

While many of his peers would have been playing games or putting their feet up during the break, Zak Dolan, eight, decided to do his bit for the environment.

He spent the October week on holiday with his family at Pointsands beach near Tayinloan Kintyre and while out walking he noticed lots of litter spoiling the beach.

Zak, who is a member of the eco group at his school, St Ninian's Primary, decided to do something about the mess by putting what he had learned into practice - and he roped his mum and dad in to help.

Zak said: "I like being in the group as we make a difference in making the world a cleaner place.

“We talk about recycling, litter picking and saving energy.

“While I was walking on the beach on holiday I noticed lots of plastic waste and I knew it was bad for the sea, so I decided to pick it up as I went along.”

During Zak’s impromptu beach clean he came across two buckets, which he used to collect the waste.

He collected everything from a plastic tennis racket to parts of an inflatable dingy and left the Kintyre coastline a much cleaner place by the time he had finished.

Zak is now encouraging others to follow his lead and help the environment.

He said: “I felt really good about doing it.

"If everyone picked things up as they went along then it would make a big difference.”

His mum Jane and dad Robert were so proud of Zak’s efforts that they sent a picture to his school teachers, who congratulated him on his efforts to be a responsible citizen.

Robert said: “We are very pleased Zak is involved with the school's eco-group and we were more than happy to help him on his beach clean.”