On Saturday 27th, we went to the Ernesettle Fun Day to get to know communities around the Creek.

Throughout the day we saw the people of Ernesettle join together for a fun day out in the sun amongst our three stalls that offered different ways to engage with the National Marine Park:

Meet the Marine Park (MTMP)

Ran by our MTMP team made up of our amazing partner, the Ocean Conservation Trust, they brought the Sound to visitors with curious artifacts pulled from the depths and a mobile rockpool to show-off and educate visitors about the wildlife on our coast line. 

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)

An information point for the community to learn about the crucial work the RNLI do across Plymouth Sound.

Sea in the City (SitS)

Our SitS pop-up gave the public a chance to meet their Coastal Rangers and learn all about PSNMP. This stall also hosted two activities that ran throughout the course of the day. The first activity, ‘Letters to the Ocean’ was run by Plymouth’s Laurette of Words, Rosemary, to connect children to nature through writing. The activity was an opportunity for young people to think about why and how they appreciate the Ocean, and to also consider why it’s important to look after it.

In addition to this, we hosted two foraging walks with foraging expert, Joanna. This activity allowed both adults and children to wander through Ernesettle Creek and discover all the amazing and nutritious plants that live amongst us. The walks were hugely popular, we saw so many smiles and surprised faces after learning how foraging could add to their everyday life.

From the estuary samphire they sampled on the walk, to the fresh hazelnuts they collected from the nearby trees, it was an activity that engaged all age ranges and abilities to learn.

All in all…

We had an amazing day chatting to the Ernesettle community about all the amazing things happening this Summer around PSNMP. But most importantly, it was great to have a space for the community to speak to us about what they want to see in their National Marine Park, and how we can improve nature in their local area.

By Assistant Ranger, Millie