Local coastal projects around the UK are looking for your assistance:

• Wales
• Ireland
• Scotland
• Northern England
• Southern England

Wales

Cardigan Bay Special Area of Conservation

Home to a rich variety of marine animals and plants, including the bottlenose dolphin, parts of Cardigan Bay have been designated Special Areas of Conservation by the European Commission. Volunteers make a huge contribution to conserving Cardigan Bay's marine environment.

Team members get involved in a range of activities from helping collect valuable data about dolphins to clearing litter from beaches. If you're able to spare two hours a week in the summer months and like the idea of seeing dolphins in the wild on a regular basis why not take part in 'dolphin watch'?

You will be part of a dedicated team studying the relationship between local boating traffic and bottlenose dolphin site usage, gathering vital data for decisions on management of recreational facilities in the Bay. Full training and support is offered; find out how you can get involved.

Seatrust South and West Wales

Formed in 2003 by a group of birdwatchers, Seatrust is totally voluntary and open to all, giving local people the chance to take control of the investigation, documentation and promotion of their marine wildlife. The Seatrust website can tell you more.

Ireland

Strangford Lough

A large but shallow sea lough on the east coast of County Down, the northernmost tip of Strangford Lough is less than four miles from Belfast. The wide range of wildlife on Strangford Lough makes it tremendously important for biodiversity and it is part of a network of European conservation sites.

The environment of the Lough is enormously interdependent - for example, the abundant shellfish, eel grass and other food on the northern shores are critical for the huge flocks of birds that overwinter here. If you want to get involved in conservation work, there are lots of opportunities available; from surveying and identifying wildlife sites to environmental education. Discover how to get involved through the Strangford Lough website.

Scotland

Community of Arran Seabed Trust: COAST

Most of COAST's 1,600 members are based on the Isle of Arran - roughly one in five of the island's population. COAST is a non profit-making community group, which is entirely voluntary. The project has been supported, in fact, demanded, by the local community and its progress has been encouraged by a series of well attended public meetings and by the support of the local newspaper. Free and open to all, the COAST website offers details on how to join, and much more.

Fishing For Litter

Fishing for Litter is a unique marine litter project, tackling litter at sea rather than on the shoreline and engaging with fishermen, a group not normally involved in the prevention of marine litter.. The aim is not only to remove litter from the marine environment but also to change working practices within the fishing industry and improve waste management. Based on a similar Dutch scheme, the project provides fishermen with large, hardwearing bags to collect waste generated at sea. Participation is voluntary, but the project bears the costs of bags and disposal. There's more background on the Fishing For Litter webpage.

Friends of the Forth

Following on from their successful Coastal Litter Campaign, the Forth Estuary Forum’s Friends of the Forth project will aim to bring together businesses, tourists attractions, local residents and others to make life better for communities and help everyone understand their environment throughout East Lothian, Edinburgh, West Lothian, Falkirk, Stirling, Clackmannanshire and Fife.

Care for the Forth hopes to change the way people think about their surroundings and make open spaces in the Firth of Forth more attractive for locals and visitors, while the Waterfront Community Initiatives will try to improve local environments by encouraging everyone to value, manage and improve the quality of their local environment. News, publications, projects and more are detailed at the Friends of the Forth website.

The GRAB Trust

The Group For Recycling In Argyll & Bute run a number of projects in their area. Argyll and Bute has approximately 3000 miles of coastline and as such, beaches and their surrounding environs represent a hugely important resource in social, economic and environmental terms.

With this thought in mind, The GRAB Trust secured funding for a stand alone Beaches and Marine Litter Project which started in 2005. The project has a dedicated Beaches and Marine Litter Officer based in Lochgilphead who covers the whole of Argyll and Bute. The current aims and a range of useful information on the projects can be accessed through the Beaches and Marine Litter Project webpages.

Marine and Coastal Ranger Service

The St. Abbs and Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve was opened in 1984. As a voluntary reserve, protection of the marine life relies on the goodwill of the numerous groups of people who use the area and adhere to the Code of Practice. The settlements of St. Abbs and Eyemouth both owe their existence to the fishing industry - indeed Eyemouth harbour is now the base of a thriving offshore fishery. The smaller boats operating out of St. Abbs fish the productive waters for crabs and lobsters using the traditional method of laying baited pots or 'cribs'. Find out more about the marine reserve through their website.

Moray Firth Partnership

Why not help make your beach cleaner and safer by becoming a beach guardian? The Moray Firth Partnership brings together those who live, work and spend their leisure time in the area to preserve and develop the quality of the environment for the benefit of all. One of the key aspects of this work is encouraging the local community to get involved in coastal and marine stewardship projects, including the beach guardian programme. You can sign up for the beach guardian scheme online.

Northern England

Coastal Futures Humber Community Project

The low-lying land round the Humber Estuary is home to more than 300,000 people and the Humber ports are the UK's busiest. In addition, the vast majority of the Humber Estuary is designated as internationally important.

Currently, homes, business and habitats are currently protected by flood defences maintained by the Environment Agency. Over the next 50 years, it's expected that the sea level around the Humber Estuary will rise by about a third of a metre, while bigger, more frequent storms will lash the coast.

The existing sea defences, many of which are at the end of their life, will struggle to cope with the increased risk of flooding. The community project is intended to help those in the region get answers to the questions this vision of the future raises - whether at a face-to-face session, a family fun day, or through the Coastal Futures website.

Dinosaur Coast

Since 1999, the Dinosaur Coast Project has worked to increase knowledge of, and access to, the geological heritage of North East Yorkshire. Aiming to make the Dinosaur Coast accessible for everyone, the Dinosaur Coast website lists a range of community projects and events organised by the project.

Sefton Coast

Lying between the Mersey and Ribble estuaries, the Sefton Coast's dunes, beaches and marshes provide rich habitats for nature conservation. A partnership of local and national government, landowners and community groups work to ensure the coast is kept in the best possible condition. Find out more about the coast and how you can help at the Sefton Coast website

Morecambe Bay

The Morecambe Bay Partnership runs a wide range of activities designed to care for the coast in the bay - including volunteer beach cleaning. Find out more at the Morecambe Bay website.

Southern England

Dunwich Heath

The remnants of the second world war training ground on Dunwich Heath on the Suffolk Coast have been turned by a number of groups into a cetacean viewing station. Training is offered to volunteers to allow the collection of reports on movements of sea life off the coast. Find out more through the Crown Estates website.

Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology

The Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology promotes interest, research and knowledge of maritime archaeology and heritage. The Trust runs a programme of research-led fieldwork bringing together professional archaeologists, volunteers and students.

The results of this fieldwork forms the heart of a series of lectures, publications, seminars and other events designed to inspire interest in our maritime past.

They endeavour to promote interest, research, knowledge and learning opportunities in maritime archaeology through their collections, exhibitions, events programmes, outreach, dive trails and ongoing research projects. Discover the latest news from the Trust through the official website.

Shoresearch

Kent Wildlife Trust's Shoresearch voulnteers identify and record animals and plants in their shoreline habitat, building a comprehensive picture of intertidal wildlife around Kent - a starting point from which the effects of changes can be measured. Survey events take place across the year, which offer newcomers to marine life a great introduction to the skills involved in identification.

The data collected is added to the national Marine Recorder database, along with diver-gathered data from Seasearch. Shoresearch is also keen to hear other observations from visitors to the Kent coast; you can request Shoresearch forms and more information through the Kent Wildlife Trust website

Thanet Coastal Project

Established in 2001, the Thanet Coastal Project aims to raise awareness of, and respect for, marine and bird life; work to safeguard and manage the coast, and provide information and run events that create and celebrate links between green tourism, wildlife, arts and the coastscape. Check the Thanet Coastal Project website for more information.

Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust

The Trust is dedicated to the conservation of the natural and built environment of Torbay and the surrounding area, the provision of recreational facilities and environmental education. They manage 1800 acres including Berry Head National Nature Reserve, Cockington Country Park and Craft Studios, Goodrington Seashore Centre, six Sites of Special Scientific Interest and the South West Coast Path through Torbay, attracting three quarters of a million visitors annually.

With a busy countryside events programme, over 80 school visits per year, habitat management tasks, wildlife surveys and community involvement projects there are lots of opportunities for volunteers to get involved. The Trust website lists events, and has details on how you could become a volunteer.

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