As you may have heard, it’s Sea-Changers tenth anniversary! And what better way to celebrate than to fund another set of fantastic grassroots marine conservation projects.
Over the past ten years Sea-Changers has funded numerous community and grass root projects and this round of grants continues in that theme. In addition, Sea-Changes is able to support a number of diverse projects focusing on species protection and research. Sea-Changers awarded a total of £8,551 supporting 9 projects.
The 2021 grant money comes from Sea-Changers’ marine business partners including Boat Share Finder, Port and Lemon and 10 International, who raise funds through sales of the ethically sourced eco-friendly wine range, Seachange Wine.
Since its inception in 2011, Sea-Changers has awarded over 200 marine conservation grants to projects across the UK, channelling over £150,000 in funding towards the protection of the country’s coasts and seas. In 2021, Sea-Changers has formed an exciting new partnership with Extrême Ice Cream Brand who have given funding for the set-up of the 'Tackling Ocean Plastics Fund', which will support groups and organisations around the UK who wish to run marine conservation projects aimed at tackling the issue of plastics. This will operate as part of Sea-Changers’ Main Grant Fund from September 2021.
In this latest grant round, four of the projects funded have a strong research focus. These include Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s research into the grey seal population in the Irish Sea; Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry Laboratory (SIBL) at Durham University who will be quantifying microplastic contamination in rivers and coastal waters of the Durham Heritage Coast; and the St Andrews University iGEM team research into Shinescreen, an environmentally friendly probiotic sunscreen that will not damage coral reefs. Funding has also been provided for St Abbs Marine Station to map the historic herring spawning grounds of the Berwickshire Marine reserve.
Sea-Changers has also provided funding to the Orkney Marine Mammal Research Initiative ‘Stewards of the Sea (SOS)’ which will train local people in carrying out cetacean surveys and contribute towards scientific research. Other projects funded include two clean-up projects by Portadown Boat Club and The Deep, in Hull, who are investing in cleaning equipment which visitors can borrow to carry out litter picks in the local marine area. The full list of projects support is:
· Cumbria Wildlife Trust - Grey seal population monitoring
· Footprint Alba - Oban Beach Boards
· Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust - Hebridean Marine Explorers
· Orkney Marine Mammal Research Initiative - Stewards of the Sea (SOS)
· Portadown Boat Club - Bann summer rubbish
· St Abbs Marine Station - Mapping of historic herring spawning grounds of the Berwickshire Marine reserve
· St Andrews iGEM team - Shinescreen: an environmentally friendly probiotic sunscreen
· Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry Laboratory (SIBL) at Durham Uni - Quantifying microplastic contamination in rivers and coastal waters of the Durham Heritage Coast
· The Deep - Deep Clean
