Press Release
£300,000 BOOST FOR UK COASTAL PROJECTS FROM THE CROWN ESTATE
26 June 2008
Projects and schemes run for the benefit of coastal communities all around the UK will share over £300,000 in funding from The Crown Estate’s programme of marine stewardship.
The projects receiving support include:
- The National Maritime Museum will receive £50,000 for their Marine Environmental Initiative. The funding will provide learning opportunities for 9,000 GCSE and A-Level students between Cambridge and the south coast with the aim of raising their awareness and understanding of marine renewable energy resources. The project has strong links with the Sustainable Schools Initiative being promoted by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
- Forton Lake Archaeology Project near Gosport will receive £24,000. This community based heritage initiative is aimed at increasing public understanding of marine stewardship issues within the intertidal zone. The project involves fieldwork at Forton Lake, Gosport, together with desk based historical research, an open day event, and several public talks. The results will be disseminated via a local interest publication, an archaeological monograph publication, and a local museum exhibition. There will also be a permanent interpretation panel on the Millennium footbridge.
- Ceredigion County Council receives £50,000 for a project that follows on from the previous renovation of Cardigan Bay Boat Place. The Recreational Boating Management Scheme aims to raise awareness, demonstrate sustainable boating management practices, add value to the marine wildlife watching experience and actively involve local people in marine protected area site management. The scheme will cover the whole of the Ceredigion coastline and inshore waters.
- In Scotland, St Abbs and Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve receives £30,000 for a project that will concentrate on three main objectives: conservation, raising awareness and community involvement. Particular emphasis will be on maintaining key habitats and species in favourable conservation status, strategic partnership working, and raising awareness of marine wildlife and its conservation.
The grants have been made from the latest round of awards from The Crown Estate’s marine communities fund, part of the organisation’s programme of marine stewardship.
Dr Carolyn Heeps, Head of Policy, Science and Sustainable Development for the Marine Estate at The Crown Estate, said: “The aim of our marine communities fund is to provide support to initiatives and programmes which contribute to the development of best practice and make a significant contribution to the good management and stewardship of the marine estate.
“We were really pleased with the number and quality of projects that applied to the fund and the panel had a challenging time in assessing the applications and deciding on the successful projects. We now look forward to seeing the completion of the projects, each of which we believe will bring real benefits and enjoyment to the coastal communities where they are based.”
With around 55% of the foreshore, approximately half of all estuary beds and tidal rivers and the seabed out to the 12 mile territorial limit, the marine estate is the largest and most diverse within The Crown Estate. The Crown Estate is committed to sustainable and long-term management of these unique assets.
The Crown Estate’s dedicated programme of marine stewardship helps deliver these aims and is a core element of the organisation’s corporate responsibility plan.
In addition to the marine communities fund, The Crown Estate’s programme of marine stewardship also supports marine research delivering well managed, high quality research projects that provide scientific evidence to support business planning and the management of current and future offshore assets and the seabed.
Further Information
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