Our Coast, Our Sea - Get rocking everybody!

25 July 2011

It’s a hard life living in a rock pool but rock pools and rocky shores support an amazing wealth of marine life.

Most people do not realise that they have such colourful fish, crabs and anemones on their doorstep which are accessible to anybody who is willing to get their feet wet.

This August, Northumberland Wildlife Trust is encouraging people of all ages to explore the wacky world of rock pools as part of National Marine Week.

National Marine Week runs from the 30 July – 14 August and the wildlife charity is urging everyone, even those in landlocked areas, to make the most of the week and learn more about the UK’s marine wildlife.

To support the national campaign, the Trust’s Cresswell rockpooling events are back by popular demand.

So, what are you waiting for? Join the Trust’s People & Wildlife ‘Rockers’ at Cresswell Foreshore on Thursday 4 August between 11.00am and 3.00pm and/or Wednesday 10 August, between 11.00am and 3.00pm, where for four hours, you can become water detectives and explore what lies beneath the water; whatever the weather, we’ve got it all here on our doorstep in the North East, so come along and make your very own marine adventure.

Tracy Evans, People and Wildlife at Northumberland Wildlife Trust is running the event, she said: “During National Marine Week I want people to get out and start to explore what lives in, on and around our shores and to discover the secrets of our seas too. The UK’s 11,073 miles of coastline is host to an amazing array of wildlife; many thousands of species live in our seas including intricate corals, whales & dolphins, basking sharks, seals, and a myriad of fascinating fish, crustaceans and molluscs.”

She continued: “One of our most endangered animals lives in the North Sea. The skate is now almost extinct in the UK and skate which people buy in fish and chip shops is actually imported from Iceland. For us it is so important that we use National Marine Week to encourage people to notice wildlife and put steps into place to preserve it!”

Anybody interested in joining in should meet at Cresswell Village Hall; children must be accompanied by an adult.

The events are being sponsored by the People’s Postcode Lottery.