Families living close to the County Durham coast are learning how to care for their local marine environment, thanks to funding from believe housing.
Run by The Sea we See CIC, Rockpool Rookies aims to introduce schoolchildren to the sea life on their doorstep through rock pooling.
Meeting on the beaches of Seaham, children and their families explore the contents of the beaches’ rock pools and learn about the life within them. They also learn how to take care of the animals while visiting and how a visit to the beach will affect their environment, including the impact litter and flushing wet wipes down the toilet has on the ocean.
Rockpool Rookies is the brainchild of Georgina Fuller, Project Delivery Manager and Director for The Sea we See marine welfare group. Georgina moved back to the area just before the first Covid lockdown and soon realised that many coastal towns in the northeast of England had marine life family groups, but the County Durham coast did not. After leaving her job as a Project Manager for Durham County Council, Georgina formed The Sea we See and started Rockpool Rookies.
“The goal of Rockpool Rookies is to communicate with families about sustainability, for example stopping flushing wet wipes into the ocean, and to get families onto the beach, loving the beach and therefore caring for the beach.” said Georgina.
“Kids have an unbridled imagination, and when they understand the damage that is being done they will see solutions.”
Funding for Rockpool Rookies came from the County Durham-based housing association, believe housing. It awarded a £1,000 community grant to the project to buy a bathyscope which lets participants get a closer look in the rockpools and a rockpool listening device so they can hear underwater life.
Anne-Marie Parkin, Community Investment Coordinator for believe housing said: “Our office in Seaham overlooks the coastline, reminding us how important it is to protect marine life and the environment we share.
“Caring for our communities means creating healthier homes and better places to live, and this project supports that aim.
“By funding equipment for the Rockpool Rookies, we hope to help local families learn the importance of the marine life on their doorstep and how to leave the beach a better place after they visit.”
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