Calling all citizen scientists – one of Britain’s favourite seaside pastimes is going national. The Rock Pool Project has announced the launch of seven new hubs across the UK, bringing its Competitive Rock Pooling events to more coastal communities than ever before.
Thanks to support from the ScottishPower Foundation, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and the Marine Biological Association (MBA), the project will now run free monthly Bioblitz Battles at beaches in:
- East Sands, St Andrews
- Beadnell Haven, Northumberland
- Menai Bridge, Bangor
- Shoeburyness, Southend-on-Sea
- Ovingdean, Brighton
- Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire
- Kilve Beach, Somerset.
These lively events invite communities to explore their shores, discover marine life, and compete to record the rarest species they can find – all while contributing valuable data to citizen science.
Dr Ben Holt, CEO and founder of The Rock Pool Project, explained: “This expansion is a huge milestone for us. By setting up hubs across the UK, we can inspire many more communities together to discover the incredible life hidden in their local rock pools and empower them to help protect these amazing coastal ecosystems.”
The Rock Pool Project has already gained recognition for its Big Rock Pool Challenge events in Falmouth and Plymouth, where participants race against time to identify species and score points for biodiversity. The new hubs will build on this success, giving people across the UK the chance to connect with the ocean in a fun and meaningful way.
“We’ve been successfully running our hubs in Falmouth and Plymouth for eight years, attracting hundreds of people every month to explore local rock pools and record the species they find,” adds Ben. “We’re working with our new Hub leaders to establish their local teams this October, and we are looking for new volunteers to support our monthly events in these areas. If individuals would like to volunteer or just take part in events in their area, just visit our website to find out more.”
The Rock Pool Project team is holding volunteer events at the new hubs and anyone who would like to get involved in volunteering or supporting these hubs can find out more information and sign up here.
🔗 Find out more and get involved: The Rock Pool Project.
