Visitors to The Deep on the 3rd & 4th October can get hands-on with conservation-led learning as part of Seascape Festival, delivered in partnership with Wilder Humber.
Now in its fifth year, the popular annual family-friendly festival has expanded with new themed interactive activities on offer.
As well as leading the UK’s largest seagrass restoration project, Wilder Humber’s mission to restore 40 hectares of lost biodiversity to the Humber estuary is delivered through an ambitious programme of habitat restoration. A pioneering partnership between Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and Ørsted, Wilder Humber aims to maximise the benefits of restoration; from increasing biodiversity and creating habitat for marine life, to capturing carbon, improving coastal resilience and helping protect the coastline.
Wilder Humber’s work to restore more than 10 acres of seagrass meadow each year is bringing this native habitat back to the Humber after decades of decline. The project combines innovative techniques, including seagrass transplantation and seed-based restoration, to establish new areas of meadow at Spurn. Seagrass provides important nursery habitats for marine life, supports biodiversity and can help capture and store carbon.
Previously focused primarily on seagrass restoration, October’s Seascape Festival at The Deep is the first year the event spotlights the breadth of conservation work taking place on the Humber estuary carried out by Wilder Humber. A key part of Wilder Humber’s approach is to restore different habitats and species - seagrass, native oysters, saltmarsh, sanddunes - together, creating a healthier and more connected seascape.
Across the festival, visitors of all ages can dive in and enjoy a variety of games and activities, from oyster and scallop crafts, through to seabird ID games and seagrass meadow sorting. Curious families can even get involved in virtual hands-on conservation work as a ‘Seagrass Restoration Officer’, through a DIY seagrass coring station activity. The best part is that it is all included within the cost of standard admission and each ticket is an Annual Pass!
Over the past year, Wilder Humber has deployed more than 300,000 native oysters in the Humber Estuary, helping to restore one of the UK’s most important but historically depleted marine habitats. The project is working towards a total of 500,000 native oysters being restored to the Humber over five years.
The oysters released through Wilder Humber are already showing healthy growth and development, with the project monitoring their survival and establishment in the estuary. Native oyster reefs are known to provide habitat and shelter for over 400 different marine species, helping to create more diverse and resilient ecosystems.
John Andrews, Head of Operations & Guides, said:
“The Deep are proud to once again support the Seascape Festival, providing visitors with a unique insight into Wilder Humber’s vital conservation work that is taking place on our doorstep.
We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors across the weekend for immersive hands-on learning, with opportunities to dive in and explore different marine habitats for the first time.”
Monika Smieja, Marine Restoration Manager at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said:
“We’re really looking forward to welcoming people to the Seascape Festival and sharing more about the work we’re doing through Wilder Humber to restore some of our most important marine habitats.
From native oysters to seagrass meadows, these species play a vital role in creating healthier, more resilient ecosystems, and it’s fantastic to be able to bring this work to life through fun, hands-on activities.
We’d love to see lots of people at the festival getting involved, learning more about these incredible species and discovering how we’re working to restore them in the Humber.”