Seven large, colourful flags are flying over Tinside Pool, Plymouth all this summer. The flags, which were installed today, were dreamt up by the action group of the Blue Sound Project and designed by children from local schools.

Children from Hele’s School, All Saints Academy, Ridgeway School and Pilgrim Primary Schools were inspired by the wonderful marine environment of the Plymouth Sound & Estuaries European Marine Site and worked with artist Lucy Birbeck to create the pictures of marine life on the flags.

The children said that taking part in the project was different and fun and learnt “there was loads of other life in the ocean”. Bex House, Blue Sound Project Officer said “The flags will remind people how close they are to Plymouth’s marine environment, and promote snorkeling as a way of learning about marine life in the Sound.”

The Blue Sound Project is run by the Marine Biological Association. Funding for the flags comes from the Big Lottery with support from Marinexus, a major research and outreach project between Devon and Brittany.

There are opportunities to snorkel or take part in a number of other marine-related activities with the Blue Sound Project. Participation is free. Find out more at www.bluesound.org or check out Flickr and Facebook.

People in Plymouth have greater opportunities to experience their superb marine environment through the Blue Sound Project, which has received money from Natural England as part of its £25 million Access to Nature programme, funded through the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme.

Blue Sound is a partnership project of the Marine Biological Association, with key partner CoastNet and many others across Plymouth. For further information, visit www.bluesound.org