Hastings Kelp

Hastings Kelp is a grassroots, volunteer-led community group investigating the potential for kelp as a carbon catcher along the Hastings coastline in Sussex.

Using kelp spores from a collection, Hastings Kelp intends to grow plants in specialised scientific conditions focusing on water quality, temperatures, filtration, and UV sterilisation. This kelp will then be placed on coastal rock outcrops along the Hastings to Pett Level coastline and monitored to measure biodiversity increases, and quantity of carbon sequestered.

Their Sea-Changers £500 grant funded outreach materials, and items to support awareness-raising of this project in order to increase volunteer numbers to support the project. There was an overwhelming response, with divers, scientists, teenagers and older people from all walks of life are now taking part. Unexpectedly, the grant also helped Hastings Kelp towards securing a partnership with the local aquarium, which now serves as their project base.