Today [8th June] is World Ocean Day and the perfect opportunity to introduce the UK’s first marine Landscape Partnership scheme and brand-new project team in the North East: SeaScapes.
Durham County Council secured National Lottery support via a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £2.8m, matched by partner contributions and volunteer time, for the exciting marine landscape partnership heritage project, SeaScapes.
Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, SeaScapes is a partnership of organisations across the natural, cultural and heritage sectors that have come together to better protect and celebrate the unique coastline and marine environment to six nautical miles out between the rivers Tyne and Tees.
Benefiting communities in Durham, Hartlepool, South Tyneside and Sunderland, the SeaScapes scheme will deliver 23 projects – both on-shore and beneath the sea – over the next three years.
The full project title is ‘Tyne to Tees, Shores and Seas – SeaScapes Partnership’, elaborates on the wider remit and critical effort needed both above and below the sea to unite people and planet, and protect what’s important across our communities.
The SeaScapes project is led by Durham County Council and consists of a consortium of partners united in their collective mission to influence support and increase protection of our sea and coastline.
The seven-strong core team comprises Delivery Manager, Karen Daglish, and three team members from Durham County Council: Access and Volunteering Coordinator, Vicky Ward; Finance and Grants Officer, Peter Carr; Beach Care Advisor, Louise Harrington. Plus, three further team members representing partner organisations: Intertidal Interactive Project Officer, Dorinda Kealoha (from Durham Wildlife Trust); Bluescapes Officer, Sarah Campbell (from the National Trust); and Creative Producer, Suzy O’Hara (from the University of Sunderland).
The team’s collective experience spans over 100 years and their passion for marine and environmental conservation is palpable through an array of relevant experiences spanning marine engineering to environmental science and marine mammal medicine.
SeaScapes’ core focus for 2021 and beyond is for the communities and individuals up and down the Tyne to Tees coastline to start to feel more connected with the sea. SeaScapes’ activities are designed to inspire coastal communities to take a walk on the beach, look out to sea and question what lies beneath the waves.
Karen Daglish, SeaScapes Manager, said: “There are stories waiting to be told from the Zechstein Sea, through ice ages, wars and significant industrial history up to the present day. However, they are not our stories to tell, they belong to the communities, so we are really excited to start our engagement programme and discover more about this special coastal and marine environment.
“We want people to start to question how they interact with the ocean, and how being by the ocean has influenced their lives. Also, how we, as humans, have impacted on the Tyne to Tees marine environment over time, and how this in turn will lead to positive action to better protect our marine landscape.”
Lawrence Brown, Chair of SeaScapes, said: “As we emerge from Covid-19, having seen so many people take great comfort and support from being next to, in, or on, the sea, now is the time for stakeholders to engage with the SeaScapes project and realise the difference their efforts can make.
“Many studies have shown that spending time by the sea has a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing. With visitors to our coastline more than doubling over the last year, it is a great opportunity to shed more light on why the Tyne to Tees seascape is special and deserves more attention.
There are lots of activities that communities and businesses can get involved in over the next few years including:
- Regular beach cleans
- Family oriented activities on the beach, such as rock pooling
- Habitat surveys and habitat creation of the Durham Argus Butterfly on coastal cliffs
- An exciting Citizen Science programme
- Community archaeology exploring coastal defence structures
- Field names survey to trace how townships have evolved around the sea
- School projects looking at how communities change over time as their relationship with the sea has changes
- Shipwreck dives with Newcastle University and local dive clubs
- A programme of on water activity – sailing, canoeing etc.
15-19th June 2024 10 am – 4pm soundmirror Coastal SoundLabs reimagine our local landscape through sound and technology Artist Rob Smith has been working with local communities to explore the heritage sites of our sound mirrors on the North East coast. The summer of events and workshops will explore sound in a changing landscape at […]
Our free mobile phone app called the SeaScapes Coastal App which will enable you to learn more about the Tyne to Tees coast is now live! Once the app is loaded on your mobile phone, the app will ping the phone at key locations along the coast. At each location, the initial screen will tell […]
The Reading the Rocks website is now live www.ReadingtheRocks.com. Find out about the geological wonders of the Durham coast and take a journey, exploring ancient tropical reefs, the last ice age, and the impacts of mining over the last century. Our coast is a unique and extraordinary place, full of geological wonders, both natural and […]
Join SeaScapes and their Partners for a 2-day celebration of the coast Tyne to Tees on 8th and 9th April 2024 at Whitburn Coastal Conservation Centre, just next to Souter Lighthouse. The aim of this event is to bring communities together to learn and access their coastline at South Shields and Whitburn. This is an […]
On a beautiful Spring morning in late February we teamed up with a team from Northumbrian Water, the National Trust and SeaScapes Volunteers to plant trees and clean up Crimdon Dene. The team planted 250 trees comprising Oak, Silver birch and Hawthorn around the dene and planted a hedge around the NW Pumping Station. This […]
Did you know that litter dropped on the street miles away from the coast doesn’t stay there. Rainwater and wind carries plastic waste into streams and rivers, and through drains eventually leading to the sea. SeaScapes have joined forces with the Wear Rivers Trust and partners to look at way of reducing plastic entering rivers at […]
Over the August Bank Holiday weekend, the Beneath the Waves Team and volunteer divers spent three days diving wrecks from South Shields to Sunderland. After the recent bad weather, the team were treated on the Saturday with nearly mirror calm sea conditions and sunny weather! The divers paired up and were briefed on each dive […]
The SeaScapes Team and partners held one of the first Operation Seabird Action Days at Roker, Sunderland on the 9th of August 2023. Operation Seabird is a national initiative that was set up by the RSPCA and the Police due to an increase in reports of marine wildlife disturbance. Marine wildlife is protected by the Wildlife […]
Thank you to everyone who came out and helped to clean our beaches during the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean. An amazing 109 volunteers came out throughout the week and collected over 80 bags of litter. As well as cleaning up our coastline, the volunteers note down all the items they find in […]
SeaScapes is excited to launch the second round of the Community Grants Scheme. The scheme aims to enable communities, groups, and organisations to devise and deliver their own projects that celebrate, protect and cultivate stewardship of our coastal and marine wildlife, and marine heritage – be that natural, built or cultural heritage. There will be […]
This one-day Ocean Action Conference organised by community interest company Climate Action North, in partnership with marine safety specialist Swiftwater Solutions and leading coastal project Explore Seascapes, will take place at The Grand Hotel on Seaburn seafront in Sunderland. It will bring together experts, businesses, ocean practitioners, and marine biologists to discuss the challenges faced […]
The SeaScapes Partnership relies on a team of amazing volunteers to help deliver our projects. It’s not just a case of turning up to do a few hours work, our volunteers give their time and skills for free so it’s only fair that their experience is rewarding and fun. Volunteering provides people with a sense […]
