TO celebrate the launch of the Community Seagrass Initiative in Torbay, a special event was held at Living Coasts on Friday, March 27 for volunteers to learn more about opportunities to get involved.

The pioneering Community Seagrass Initiative will cover the 191 mile stretch of coastline from Looe in Cornwall, to Weymouth in Dorset.

The citizen based project will provide opportunities for the general public to engage with their coastal areas and be a part of an exciting project to benefit the coastal communities for years to come.

Everyone from school children, sailors, canoeists, divers, kayakers and even internet users will be encouraged to get involved and help collect vital data to aid the mapping and surveying of seagrass meadows along the south coast.

The Torbay launch was the last of three events to take place along the south coast. The first event for Plymouth was held at the National Marine Aquarium, followed by a second launch event for Weymouth, held at Weymouth SEALIFE Adventure Park.

Rachel Cole, Community Seagrass Initiative Project Officer for Torbay, commented: “It was great to host the last of our regional launch events for the Community Seagrass Initiative in Torbay.

"Living Coasts Terrace Café made for the perfect venue – it was great to see members of the local community coming out to join us and learn more about the project.

"We’ve got an exciting few months ahead, with lots of dives, kayaking trips and school visits lined-up, but we’d still love to see even more people getting involved - it’s not too late so please get in touch if you’d like to volunteer!”

Mark Parry, Community Seagrass Initiative Project Manager for the National Marine Aquarium, added: “All three launch events for the Community Seagrass Project have been a great success.

"The project is a culmination of partner organisations, working together to engage and educate the public to help protect as many seagrass beds as possible over the next three years – it will be great to see the project getting underway and people out in the water helping with our research.

"We’ve seen a great mix of people coming out to learn more and find out how they can be involved - we hope the word will continue to spread and everyone will be keen to do their part in the conservation of seagrass.”

Spearheaded by the National Marine Aquarium, the Community Seagrass Initiative is in partnership with Plymouth University Maine Institute, Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, Weymouth SEALIFE and Living Coasts – and was made possible by a £475,000 grant received by the Heritage Lottery Fund last year.