The Wild Coast Sussex project ran from October 2020 and came to an end in March 2024.
Sussex Wildlife Trust was awarded a grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund for our Wild Coast Sussex Project thanks to money raised by National Lottery Players.
Wild Coast Sussex inspires Sussex communities to care for the marine environment and enable them to protect their local coast and sea.
Sussex Wildlife Trust is the lead partner on this exciting project with Marine Conservation Society (MCS), Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) and Brighton SEA LIFE. Our partnership champions the rare and precious marine wildlife found locally, highlighting the extraordinary kelp forests, seahorses and rays once abundant in Sussex which could recover and thrive if given a chance.
The project has four main aims:
- Inspire and connect people to the Sussex coast and sea
- Engage people in direct action to protect the Sussex coast and sea
- Enable learning and activities that encourage people to make positive lifestyle choices and behaviour change to reduce negative impacts on the Sussex Coast and sea
- Empower people to share experience and influence others to protect the Sussex coast and sea
We are working with primary schools, young people (aged 12-25) and commercial fishermen, as well as the wider community and general public and take them on a journey to make a positive difference to the crisis in the health of the sea.
Wild Coast Sussex are working with communities all along the Sussex coast with extra focus on Hastings, Bexhill, Eastbourne, Brighton, Worthing and Selsey.
Project activities include a Wild Beach education programme for children, onsite and digital interpretation, a programme of citizen science surveys, fun new coastal activities and social events including beach cleans, a volunteer training programme, projects with young adults (aged 16-25) to develop local debate, action and opportunities for local marine conservation, and recycling of marine litter, including end of life fishing gear and ghost gear removed from the sea.
