A beach clean in honour of stalwart Simon Jordan will be held in West Bay on Sunday.

Simon died suddenly on Sunday, December 18, aged 52, and tributes came flooding in, including from Bridport mayor, councillor Ian Bark.

He said: "I first met Simon several years ago on a beach clean in West Bay and was immediately struck by his passion and generosity of spirit, and we immediately became friends with a shared passion for improving the environment we all inhabit.

"Simon was both a gentleman and a gentle man, larger than life, generous with his time for others and above all an inspiration to all he came in contact with. All he wanted to do was do good and as he did so he inspired others to join him."

Simon ran Simon Jordan Marketing Consultancy, helping coaches and consultants and teaching them the same philosophy in his book, 'Simplicity of Success - Life in Flow'. In the book he shares a powerful blueprint to success, laying out the areas where you can make a change in order to success.

In 2017, Simon founded and ran 5ThingsClear, a movement that has inspired people to help the fight against plastic pollution by collecting five pieces of litter at a time.

Cllr Bark added: "Only a few weeks ago I met Simon when on a visit to West Bay with my granddaughter. He was busy collecting litter that had been blown into the reeds beside the walkway to Rise and placing it in a bin close by. Many people had walked past it, some will have commented on it, but Simon did something about it - how typical of him.

"Many local people got to know and love Simon through his morning swims, which he loved. He swam to clear his head, to re-wild himself, to feel the coldness and the sense of being at one with the water, to see the birds fly over-head and the sunlight glinting on the water."

Simon published 'Wild Swimming Through Lockdown' which documents those who swim at West Bay every morning and highlights the mental health benefits of wild swimming, with proceeds going to the Burrough Harmony Centre.

"Simon was a stalwart who organised the monthly West Bay beach cleans and we worked together to expand this onto the rivers and streets of Bridport," said Cllr Bark. "Thanks to his encouragement and support I have been able to use my role as mayor to bring many other people onboard as active participants.

He added: "Simon made litter picking fun and I'm grateful to him for showing me how it can be done in a manner that everyone can buy into.

"Simon's kindness knew no bounds and in October he raised £2,000 for a young mother who he happened to witness collapse and have a medical episode in a Morrisons store. While many walked past and some stopped to help, typically Simon went that extra mile and set off on a 24-hour, 1,000 mile sponsored motorcycle ride.

"I can't believe that it was as recently as October 2018 that Simon moved to West Bay. In those few years he made a huge impact on his community and his passing is a tragic loss. I send my condolences to his family and friends. I am going to miss you very much Simon and will continue to fight plastic pollution in your name.

"You can help to ensure that Simon's legacy lives on by gathering at the Watch House and taking part in a special beach clean being held in his honour on Sunday, January 2 from 10am."

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