Each year The Wildlife Trusts celebrate the UK's amazing sea animals and plants during National Marine Week. This is your chance to explore the seashore, discover dunes and wallow with whelks and say it with sand!
Did you know?
- England’s coasts and seas support over 10,000 species of marine plants and animals
- Beyond the low tide line the undersea landscapes along the Norfolk coast are truly amazing – sandy and gravel flats supporting plaice, sole and herring; living reefs formed from the hard tubes of ross worms; fabulously varied rocky chalk reefs home to crabs and lobsters; and mysterious sunken wrecks now colonised by a remarkable range of marine life.
- The world’s longest chalk reef has been discovered off the coast of Norfolk. This 20 mile chalk reef runs between Cley next the Sea and Trimingham and is incredibly rich in wildlife supporting sponges, sea slugs, fish, crabs and lobsters.
Come along to our coastal events to discover more about Norfolk’s amazing marine wildlife, smell the seaweed, hear the waves break and listen to the calls of gulls overhead as you discover wild treasures along the strandline. Join one of our rock pooling events at West Runton to explore with us the hidden world of rock pools. We hope to show you hermit crabs who borrow empty shells to make their homes, limpets which always return to the same place to sit out low tide but roam the rocks grazing algae when the tide comes in, and transparent common prawns which are hard to spot but quite common. Other finds may include strange sea slaters hiding under sea weed (a marine relative of the woodlouse) and of course lots of shore crabs with tiny but sharp pincers, but we will show you how to handle them safely. At other marine events we explore the strandline, discovering treasures along the tideline – perhaps a mermaid’s purse (the egg cases of sharks and rays), and hornwrack which looks like seaweed, smells of lemons but is actually a colony of byozoan animals.
We are also running a great competition, ‘Say it in Sand’, to encourage everyone to have a go a doing a marine wildlife-themed sand sculpture. Have a go and send us a photo of what you create – it’s a great activity for the whole family to get involved in.
David North, NWT Head of People and Wildlife commented: ‘Marine wildlife is as strange, beautiful, diverse and important as any on land. Come along to one of the NWT events and as well as being great fun for families we hope to open eyes and hearts to the desperate need to look after the marine environment and protect some of its threatened species. We all need healthy, sustainable seas – they regulate our climate, provide billions of us globally with food, and are home to fabulous wildlife – we can all make a difference now by adding our voices to need to look after them more wisely.’
You can
find more information about our marine wildlife. To support the campaign to protect marine wildlife and establish marine nature reserve please visit
www.wildlifetrusts.org/MCZfriends
To Celebrate National Marine Week ( a week which is so special it lasts a fortnight from 28 July -12 August 2012) NWT is running the following marine themed events:
SAY IT WITH SAND – PHOTO COMPETITION
Craft your own marine creature anywhere a long Norfolk’s coast this summer and enter a picture of your work in to our ‘
Say it with sand’ competition. Carve out your sculpture or pile it up and use natural materials to beautify your marine creation (beware not to disturb or damage anything living!) – There are no limits to your imagination. At the end of the summer NWT’s experts will choose the best art work and will award the winner with a family membership. In case you need a bit of inspiration or want to learn more about the sea: Join NWT in a strandline scavenge on Tuesday 31 July, 2-3.30pm at NWT Holme Dunes (meet outside the visitor centre. Cost: £2 per child, accompany adults are free. Non-member car park fee applies) or Friday 3 August, 10-11.30am at West Runton Beach (meet outside the beach café, Cost: £2 per child, accompany adults are free). And remember: It is not just about prizes, your pictures will help us show how much people care about marine wildlife.
SEA DIPPING
You are an expert rock pooler and think there is no more for you to discover on Norfolk’s beaches? Then let us surprise you because today we will be plunging for prawns and dunking for dabs as we go sea dipping at Holme Dunes. We will explore the creatures that live in sandy habitats and be assured: Once we come ashore you will be amazed by the secrets of the sea. No need for swimming costumes we will be the ones getting wet!
Tuesday 31 July, 11am-12.30pm
Venue: NWT Holme Dunes - meet outside the visitor centre.
Cost: £2 per child, accompany adults are free. Non-member car park fee applies. No need to book, just turn up
EXPLORE THE SHORE
More than 70% of the Earth is covered by water but not very many people have ever had a glimpse of what lurks below. The rock pools are a window into this unexplored wilderness. Come along with sturdy shoes, keen eyes and help us carefully investigate the secrets of the rock pools. If you don’t know a barnacle from a belemnite the experts will be on hand to identify your finds.
Friday 3 August, 1-3pm
Monday 6 August, 3-5pm
Venue: West Runton Beach, meet outside the beach café
Cost: £3.50 per child, accompanying adults free
ROCKS & RELICS
You won’t believe the creatures that used to call Norfolk home! Come along and see the remains of some of the amazing beasts that were found here millions of years ago. Good explorers may be lucky enough to find a fossil to take home – and if you can’t, you will have a chance to make your very own fossil shark’s tooth necklace.
Monday 6 August, 11.30am-1pm
Venue: West Runton Beach, meet outside the beach café
Cost: £3.50 per child, accompanying adults free
COASTAL CAPERS
As National Marine Week draws to a close, join us in Great Yarmouth to celebrate our seas and the marine wildlife that call them home. With explore the shore sessions, sand sculptures, shark’s teeth necklaces, craft activities, story-telling and lots more you can go coastal crazy!
Sunday 12 August, 11am-4pm
Venue: Sea Life Centre Gardens, Great Yarmouth
Cost: Free, no need to book just turn up