Over £75,000 grant awarded to Cornish project to protect seals and their environment
Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust will benefit from the government's Green Recovery Challenge Fund.
A project in Cornwall to safeguard seals and their habitat has received a grant of £75,700.
'People Protecting Precious Places' run by the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust is one of the first environmental projects to get cash from the government's Green Recovery Challenge Fund.
The CSGRT says the money will provide the following benefits:
• Create opportunities for #SealSmiles to improve fitness, mental health and wellbeing
• Help people have amazing seal experiences without impact
• Create ‘Watching Seals Well’ resources (website, signs, leaflets)
• Learn about human interaction with seals by collecting critical research evidence
• Tell seal stories to motivate us all to ‘Give Seals Space’ and be ‘Seal Friendly’
• Develop the next generation of marine conservation leaders
“An organisational changing grant to transform peoples’ relationship with seals and help us all to share our seas successfully so marine life can thrive. This is our best chance to protect seals by raising awareness about ways to enjoy our coastline AND help seals.
"We are hugely grateful to the Green Recovery Challenge Fund from the Heritage Fund UK for making this happen. We are delighted to shade the Green Recovery Fund ‘blue’ showing that it is inclusive of our critical marine environment.”
For Sue Sayer, Director of Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust
“These projects will drive forward work across England to restore and transform our landscapes, boost nature and create green jobs, and will be a vital part of helping us to build back greener from coronavirus.
“I look forward to working with environmental organisations as these projects help address the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change, while creating and retaining jobs as part of the green recovery.”
Environment Minister, Rebecca Pow
“Supporting our natural environment is one of the most valuable things we can do right now. All these projects are of huge benefit to our beautiful countryside and wildlife, but will also support jobs, health and wellbeing, which are vitally important as we begin to emerge from the coronavirus crisis.”
Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive, National Lottery Heritage Fund