40 miles of West Sussex coast, 30 individual beaches to clean, one stubborn optimist raising funds for kelp regeneration and rewilding through the Sussex Seabed Restoration Project.
I’m planning to do a beach clean on each of the 30 beaches in West Sussex to raise funds for The Sussex Seabed Restoration Project. The West Sussex coastline runs from Southwick to Chichester and incorporates nature reserves, sandy stretches, and shingle shorelines. From the big beaches of Worthing, Bognor and Littlehampton to the harbours at Kingston and Bosham. There’ll be tourists, tides and our good old British weather to deal with. Starting the week of Earth Day, Saturday 22nd April, I'm aiming to complete the mission over the next two months to give the beaches some love before the summer tourist season begins.
I’ll be monitoring the ocean pollution and beach trash as I go and logging my finds with marine conservation groups. I'll also be creating a video of each beach clean and sharing pictures of my finds, the treasures as well as the trash, all shared through my instagram and Facebook pages.
At the end of the beach cleaning mission I plan to make art using the trash from each of the beach cleans. These will be available to buy to raise additional funds.
About Sussex Seabed Restoration Project
30 years ago the Sussex seabed was covered in kelp. Destructive fishing practices, such as bottom trawling, devastated the sea bed and now only 3% remains. In March 2021 a trawler ban came into place along the Sussex coast creating the perfect opportunity to restore the kelp and rewild the seabed.
Kelp can capture carbon five times more effectively than tropical forests and creates shelter and habitat for sea creatures. It grows 30 times faster than land plants making it an amazing ally in the climate crisis. Restoring the Sussex kelp to pre-trawling levels would be the equivalent of reforesting the whole of Sussex.
The Sussex Seabed Restoration Project is a Community Interest Project run by Steve Allnutt, a local legend who has single handedly created a kelp restoration hub where he grows native kelp and works with the local community to replant it across the Sussex coastline, actively restoring and rewilding the Sussex seabed.
All the funds raised through my beach cleaning mission will go directly to The Sussex Seabed Restoration Project, supporting Steve in his rewilding mission. Additionally, cleaning plastics and lost or abandoned fishing gear from the sea helps to protect existing sea weeds and kelps from entanglement, which can cause them to be uprooted from the sea bed. It's a win-win!
Join me on a beach clean
I will be inviting members of the Sussex community to walk the beach with me and share their story. Sea swimmers, sea changers, rockpool wanderers, nature nerds and ocean activists sharing their ideas, hopes and passions to help build a picture of our coastline and the community enjoying and protecting it. I'll be learning how we can work together to restore and protect our coast, as well as raising awareness of beach cleaning and seabed restoration.
Want to come along and chat with me? Want to nerd out about the nature we find, hunt for sea glass, learn about beach trash or just celebrate the end of a beach clean with some cake at the local cafe? Give me a shout. I'd love your company and your stories.
The beaches
Southwick
Kingston
Shoreham
Lancing
East Worthing
West Worthing
Goring
Ferring
East Preston & Angmering
Rustington
Norfolk Road
Littlehampton East
Littlehampton West
Climping
Elmer Sands
Middleton-on-sea
Felpham
Bognor East
Bognor West
Aldwick
Pagham
Pagham Harbour
Selsey East
Selsey West
Bracklesham Bay
East Wittering
West Wittering
East Head beach
Bosham Harbour
Thorney Island
(Phew)
Thank you for supporting this stubborn optimist's mission to save our ocean.
Carmen :)