Plymouth Sound National Marine Park celebrates one year anniversary with a summer of events
The project received £9.5 million boost from the National Lottery Heritage Fund one year ago
It has been one year since the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park received a £9.5 million Heritage Horizon Award from The National Lottery Heritage Fund - and the impact is already being felt across the city.
A summer of community activities kicked off with the fun-packed Big Blue Splash, where 2,200 local people took part in free activities, including: boat tours, yoga, kayaking, paddleboarding and swimming.
To mark the occasion, Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of the Heritage Fund, visited Plymouth Hoe to celebrate this milestone and the ongoing partnership with the city.
One of the main aims of the project is to encourage greater community engagement with the marine environment and help everyone reconnect with the water.
After kicking off last weekend with the Big Blue Splash, the summer fun continues with the National Marine Park visiting green spaces across the city. 'Sea in the Park' will take place at Teats Hill (12 August), Keyham (24 August) and West End (27 August).
Councillor Pat Patel, Cabinet Member for Customer Services, Culture, Leisure & Sport at Plymouth City Council, said: "We were thrilled to see so many of our community here in Plymouth engaging with the National Marine Park at the Big Blue Splash weekend.
"It was the perfect way to celebrate our first anniversary since our Heritage Horizon Award but also a great opportunity to allow everyone to have a chance to shape what our future will look like.
"We want our future to be guided by the people of Plymouth – to create the people’s 'Park in the Sea'."
Cllr Pat Patel - Plymouth City Council
With the first year under their belts, the impact of the project is already being felt across the city. To date, over 6,000 Plymouth residents have engaged at the National Marine Park events, including the open weekend in April, Mini Splash events and Big Blue Splash event.
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of the Heritage Fund said: "I’m thrilled to be here visiting the National Marine Park one year on.
"For us to fund a project, particularly at this scale, an essential outcome is that a wider range of people can be involved in heritage, and this has been seen through these fantastic community events.
"The 'Park in the Sea' will re-establish the bond between community and sea that has defined Plymouth for centuries and given its sense of place.
"Thanks to National Lottery players, the project has already begun to reimagine how this landscape and its people can work together, with many feeling the benefits already.
"What a fantastic legacy to its first year – I can’t wait to see what the future holds."
Eilish McGuinness - Chief Executive of the Heritage Fund
The Heritage Horizon Awards were launched in 2019 to support ambitious, innovative and transformational projects that will revolutionise UK heritage.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the UK’s largest funder of heritage projects, with almost £39million awarded to 182 projects in Plymouth since 1994.