The waters surrounding the UK are quite special, for many reasons. First, no matter where you are in the country, you’re never more than 70 miles from the sea. The waters around the UK are home to more than 30,000 species, which is over half of all the wildlife in the area. Our seas contribute to water purification and flood management—they even provide the oxygen for every other breath you take!
For all these reasons—and more—it’s important to celebrate and protect these special waters. Every year, the Wildlife Trusts hosts National Marine Week to honour the diverse wildlife of our surrounding seas and our special relationship with this important habitat. National Marine Week takes place from 23 July to 7 August. (The astute reader may notice this is longer than a calendar week. The celebration lasts just a wee bit longer to take advantage of the different tide times around the UK.) The Wildlife Trusts will hold several sea-themed events, from snorkelling through the waters of Wembury Bay in Devon to exploring the rockpools of Yorkshire’s Boggle Hole on a seashore safari. You can even picnic with a porpoise on the clifftops of North Wales.
During National Marine Week, here’s three ideas to show your support for our seas and celebrate all things marine.
Get Some Sun While Doing Good: Clean up your Local Beach
Humans have a destructive impact on the health of our oceans and waterways. Every year, eight million tonnes of litter enters our oceans. Plastic trash breaks down into small pieces and has a devastating impact on the marine food chain, from shrimp to sharks. It also puts marine mammals and birds at risk. Removing this waste is the first step to improve the ecosystem for both wildlife and humans.
During National Marine Week, get a group together and commit to a litter pick or beach clean. You can do this wherever is convenient for you—remember, you’re never more than about two hours from the sea! The Wildlife Trusts shares several tips to ensure a safe and productive beach clean. Bring thick gardening gloves, buckets, a litter picking tool, and suitable footwear. Following your litter pick, sort your haul and recycle what you can. You can find more tips here.
Ditch the Plastic, Everyday
Interestingly, National Marine Week occurs at the end of Plastic Free July, a global movement to refuse single-use plastics. Half of all plastic produced is designed for single-use purposes, according to the UN Environment Programme. If you can’t do a beach clean, you can stop the pollution before it even starts by reducing your overall plastic usage and avoiding the damage of single-use plastics. Commit to making smarter choices about the products you purchase and use.
For charities, this might mean swapping out your fundraising merchandise with more sustainable alternatives. At Rocket Charities, we’re proud to offer eco-friendly options for nearly all of our most popular plastic products. We make it easy for your charity to help avoid plastic waste, and to encourage others to go plastic free along the way. Consider reusable tote bags and water bottles, or even wooden pin badges, and so much more. Finding eco-friendly alternatives today might lead to new habits forever, for you and your supporters.
Shop Smart to Show your Seaside Support
Another way to support our seas during National Marine Week is to put your pocketbook to power. The Wildlife Trusts has an online shoppe of special gifts for every occasion and budget. Head on over and check out their marine pin badges, tea towels, reusable totes, and even some tops and jumpers.
Every time you make a purchase, you’ll help support the protection and preservation of our wildlife and wild places. If merchandise isn’t your thing, consider adopting an animal! Money raised from the adoption scheme goes to local wildlife conservation. Wouldn’t you like to be able to show people pictures of your otter, hedgehog, seal, or dolphin? Marine adoptions also make a perfect gift for your own volunteers or supporters.
This year’s National Marine Week focuses on “the unsung heroes of the marine world” to advocate for species that might be entirely new to you, like the sea hare, honeycomb worm, and common cuttlefish. Be your own unsung hero and get involved. We hope to see you on or near the beach soon! Please get in touch anytime.