The Plymouth Sound National Marine Park has received a £9.5 million grant and will officially become the UK’s first Marine Park!
The Ocean Conservation Trust are incredibly proud to be part of the Park’s development through our seagrass restoration work and the hosts of a Marine Park Welcome Centre at the National Marine Aquarium.
Our conservation work is centred around people taking positive action, so we will strive to help as many people as possible to experience and connect with the Ocean here in Plymouth through our conservation work including education and engagement programmes.
This amazing landscape is steeped in history from Captain Cook to Darwin and is home to over 600 wrecks. It is a place where fragile seagrass beds and Europe’s largest Naval base co-exist.
Roger Maslin, CEO of Ocean Conservation Trust said:
“As an Ocean Conservation Charity, we are delighted to continue our conservation, education and engagement programmes here in the Southwest and will continue supporting the fantastic team at Plymouth City Council to ensure that both locals and visitors connect with the National Marine Park in new and exciting ways.”
Nick Kelly, leader of Plymouth City Council said:
“This is truly a game changer for Plymouth. For too long Plymouth hasn’t fully embraced the sea and its waterfront – this funding means we can now put the Sound right at the heart of our plans for Plymouth.”
The Plymouth Sound National Marine Park aims to reconnect an entire city to the sea, the marine environment and its history. The bid is based on three key elements:
- Creating gateways to the park with improved facilities at Tinside cove and pool, Mount Batten Peninsula and watersports centre, the National Marine Aquarium, Mount Edgcumbe as well as enhancing community access points though out the park
- A city wide community engagement programme designed to get all Plymothians out in, on, under and next to the water and develop new ‘green’ marine employment opportunities
- Using the latest tech to create new ways of engaging people with the park and learning about its hidden treasures without getting wet.
People across the city and surrounding the Sound are celebrating after learning the bid for Heritage Lottery Fund’s Heritage Horizons Award has been successful.
We are incredibly honoured to be part of such an exciting project during the Ocean Decade.
To learn more about our current seagrass restoration work in the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park, please click below.