Our latest Wave of Coastal Champions

We’re delighted to announce the successful recipients of the Spring 2025 Sea-Changers Main Grant, with over £36,000 awarded in support of 17 dynamic projects across the UK’s coastal and marine environments. This latest round includes everything from monitoring seals to endangered shark research, vital water quality testing and youth-focused conservation and leadership training. Below is a summary of the projects that we are proud to be funding in our Spring Grants round:

Direct Action

• Portaferry Coastal Rowing Club are targeting less accessible and remote beaches around County Down, using boats and safety equipment. They aim to protect coastal environments and engage the community through volunteer events, increasing awareness and participation in marine conservation.

• Sea Hives Ltd are installing an artificial reef of Sea Hive tubes in the National Maritime Museum Cornwall’s Tidal Zone, to boost the marine life visible to visitors and enhance learning about marine conservation. It will also support juvenile fish and invertebrates in the Falmouth estuary, provide education for local schools and promote recycling.

• In Suffolk, British Divers Marine Life Rescue will put funds towards a new, larger seal rescue unit. This will improve emergency care for orphaned or injured pups awaiting hospital admission, increasing survival rates and supporting the growing seal population along the Suffolk coast.

• The GRAB Trust - More news shortly.

Research

• The Alde and Ore Association will use the grant to support volunteer-led weekly water quality testing across 13 estuary sites. The project provides crucial long-term data on pollution, wastewater impact, and climate change to inform local stakeholders and protect river ecosystems.

• The Marine Research and Conservation Foundation (MARECO) will use non-invasive Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems (BRUV) to study endangered sharks in Isle of Man Marine Nature Reserves. The data will improve understanding of shark habitats, support conservation efforts, and guide adaptive management to protect threatened species.

• Wildwood Heritage CIC based in East Sussex, will use their grant to install a solar-powered 4G SealCam and monitor the growing Grey Seal colony at Beachy Head reef. The project will collect real-time data on seal behaviour, group dynamics, and pup development to improve understanding of this important local population and encourage citizen science.

• In Cornwall, Mounts Bay Marine Group monitors seagrass and kelp habitats as they store ocean carbon, support marine life, and protect coastlines. Funding will aid volunteer training, equipment, ongoing surveys, and community education to safeguard these vital ecosystems.

Engagement, Training and Awareness

• COAST (Community of Arran Seabed Trust) plan to use their funds to support their Youth Leadership in Marine Conservation Internships, providing training and practical experience for 16 early-career conservationists. The initiative will increase local ambassadors and volunteers, while nurturing future marine leaders through hands-on engagement, education, and citizen science.

• With sharp declines to Essex’s vital seagrass meadows, Essex Wildlife Trust aims to sustain local momentum following the ReMEDIES project. The grant will cover volunteer travel for citizen science surveys at eight key sites, and support 10 public engagement events to raise awareness of seagrass conservation.

• Living Communities CIC’s Down-On-The-Beach offers a free 4-day creative course for 16–25-year-olds. Led by an artist and marine biologist, it raises awareness of coastal erosion, pollution, and climate change through interactive beach workshops in Bexhill-On-Sea, East Sussex.

• North Devon UNESCO Biosphere will deliver free training through its Marine Wildlife Aware Scheme to increase awareness, reduce human-wildlife conflicts, grow accreditation, and support long-term sustainability across the region.

• Pobl Tir Môr CIC will run five interactive workshops with Zombie Plastics in Pembroke, teaching 120 young people and community members how to identify, sort, and recycle marine plastics. The project also encourages developing sustainable business ideas linked to a circular economy.

• Since 2018, Somerset Wildlife Trust has supported Shoresearch volunteers to engage with coastal environments. Sea-Changers’ funding will help establish the volunteers as an independent group by providing training, planning, and data support, ensuring long-term marine monitoring and conservation.

• The Sea We See CIC in Seaton, Co Durham will run eight sessions at six local beaches, exploring coastal ecology, geology, and human impacts. Participants will record wildlife and habitats, creating a digital report that contributes to their database and personal journals to support ongoing citizen science.

• In Surrey, Ocean Advocate will use funding to run an immersive residential programme, training adults passionate about ocean conservation. Participants will gain practical skills and create projects to support advocacy, with ongoing mentoring and community support.

• Rewild Research Cluster at the University of Hull will run a community engagement programme across Scotland’s coasts, building on PhD research exploring local attitudes to marine rewilding. This project will gather community views through workshops to inform inclusive conservation and strengthen community-policy links.

As always, a big thank you to our partners, funders and supporters, whose continued generosity makes these grants possible and congratulations to all recipients for their efforts and commitment to marine conservation. We look forward to seeing the impact of their work throughout 2025 and beyond.