🐋 The event is free of charge. Please note the schedule will evolve, so we advise you to check this page before the event for precise timings as some events are weather dependent.*

💗 The festival celebrates the 10th anniversary of the creation of Wester Ross Marine Protected Area (MPA) – the largest maerl MPA in the world – and invites discussion about the next 10 years. All are welcome. For all those who treasure the underwater world there will be an exciting announcement made on the last day.

You are encouraged to wear something PINK to honour our favourite seaweed – maerl. Or come as a herring, if you’re feeling adventurous….. neither are compulsory!

💙 RUNNING UP TO THE FESTIVAL- THE WEEK BEFORE - COME AND PARTICIPATE IN OUR ARTISTS WORKSHOPS.

The artists involved invite you to participate creatively, so get involved:

🐬 1- Storyteller Lizzie MacDougall 21st September, Achiltibuie Primary School – a much loved Highland storyteller will be offering opportunities for young people to create art to honour marine life and add their own hopes for the future to their work to show at the event. Lizzie may even share some magical stories of Scottish heroes and the Blue Men of The Minch.

🐟 2-  Willow Weaving Workshop with Artist Diyanne Ross. Help us create magical lanterns to light up the coastline for the flotilla. Whilst you work you will be offered seaweed yummies & healthy treats with nutritional and how to identify and harvest key seaweeds by Jayne Kelly. Saturday 19th Sept: Old School House, all day drop in 10am start. (20th by demand) Note: Sara and Jayne will share the BHA citizen science ‘Adopt a Bay’ Project and how we collect Identify and press seaweeds to ‘adopt a bay’ to record species..

💓 3- Maerl Papier-Mâché Sculpture Day with Julia Barton, Saturday 12th of September, from 11 am to 4pm. Join artist Julia Barton at Studio Tigh Fada Beag (Dornie, Achiltibuie, IV26 2YP). Come along & learn about Maerl and craft unique Maerl sculptures using papier-mâché and driftwood. All ages welcome. Your artwork will join Julia's 'Maerl Superhome' installation, featuring as part of the Maerl & Herring Festival on 26 September before touring the UK in 2027. Free refreshments provided.

💙✨💙✨💙 ✨THE MAERL HERRING FESTIVAL - MAIN EVENT - 25-27th SEPTEMBER

Not to be missed: We are delighted to announce that Professor Jason Hall Spencer, the world leading expert on maerl, will be sharing what’s been happening under the veil of water. He has examined 10 years of the Blue Hope Alliance’s surveys in Wester Ross MPA and beyond. Don’t miss his insights …..

🩵 FRIDAY EVENING 25TH SEPTEMBER – MUSICAL ILLUMINATED FLOTILLA AND STORYTELLING. Bring sparklers, and lanterns and help light up the Summer Isles coastline. The flotilla opens the festival with songs and music on board to celebrate the sea. Dress warm. Wear something PINK if you like.

6.30 pm start. 🩵 for TALES AND TUNES OF THE SEA at Am Bothan, Badentarbat Pier, Achiltibuie, Coigach. Finishing around 9 ish. Highland Storyteller Lizzie McDougall will share timeless tales of the Mermaids, Mermen, Selkies, Seers and Saints, found in the waters around our coast mixed with tunes old and new from Komorebi, an exciting new traditional music duo featuring Siannie Moodie on clarsach and Cameron Newell on fiddle. ‘Komorebi’, is the Japanese word for light dappling through leaves, an image they evoke through their music. In their Ecotones project they are creating compositions and arrangements of Gaelic material inspired by the threshold of sea and land and the folklore that surrounds it.

A FAMILY EVENT with hot chocolate and marshmallows with cake supplied ( and cacao for those who want it) ‍ ‍

STORYTELLER: Lizzie will break the storytelling to wave off the flotilla before continuing.

7.30 GATHER TO WATCH the flotilla set off at twilight from Badentarbat Pier, Achiltibuie, as it sails out to sea as night falls. (setting sail around 7.30 and return 9.30 pm sunset 7:15 pm *) : Watch from the shoreline, as the illuminated musical flotilla weaves its way along the coast of Badentarbat Bay & Dornie Sound, celebrating and honouring the Summer Isles and the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area’s birthday. As the flotilla passes - light a sparkler or a lantern and make a wish for the next 10 years…..Musicians and singers, mandolin, pipes, fiddlers, and percussion. Help us to make it a magical event bringing light and hope to celebrate this 10th year anniversary. We hope the full moon will shine and the wind and weather will be kind …. giving us an Indian summer. (Note the flotilla schedule is dictated by wind, tide and weather ) 

DIRECTIONS (Am Bothan is the wee bothy at the end of the pier road right next to the Badentarbat pier. What3words
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Afterwards at Am Fuaran bar at Altandhu, a short way up the coast for the late nighters, who want to adjourn to the pub at what3words
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🩷 SATURDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER AFTERNOON Coigach Community Hall (CCH) : Maerl Art & Maerl Science Report on 10 yrs of Wester Ross Marine Protection. .

4.00 - 5.30 PM MAERL INTERACTIVE EXHIBITION Join beachcomber and artist Julia Barton to walk through an underwater maerl landscape to Horse Island - along the way we are taken on a journey of discovery to understand maerl’s seabed superhomes. Marine life films captured in our local waters are projected on the sculptures.

🩷 5.30-6.00 PM WORLD LEADING MAERL EXPERT - Professor Jason Hall Spencer, shares from his lifetime studying maerl and shows us what has happened underwater in the last 10 years as documented by Blue Hope Alliance community-led surveys. As well as the return of the herring shoals and what we can all do next in order to help recovery. AFTERWARDS Q&A (finish time 6.30)

🍲 The Coigach Kitchen Cafe just opposite the Coigach Community Hall have generously agreed to stay open to accommodate Fest goers after the event. We invite you to enjoy their delicious food for supper. https://www.facebook.com/coigachkitchen/The Coigach Kitchen

DIRECTIONS Coigach Community Hall, Achiltibuie, IV26 2YG

https://coigachhall.org/contact

Coigach Community Hallwhat3words :
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💜 SUNDAY 27th SEPTEMBER AFTERNOON Coigach Community Hall (CCH)  2.30 pm Market Fair

We invite local artisans, seafood, food and drink suppliers, as well as artists and creatives to share their work, in support of local enterprise. Get in touch at connect@bluehopealliance.co.uk‍ ‍to confirm if you’d like to come. Or WhatsApp Sara +44 7973 882287

EXCITING HABITAT GAME During the community fair, Little Loch Broom Marine Life (a local community citizen science group) invite you to play their madcap Seabed habitats game. Players pitch their skills against each other in a race to get herring eggs into safe spawning grounds - this much loved, fun learning game is set in a virtual non digital underwater world where everyone can learn about our local seabed habitats. Not to be missed.

Grab food and join us:

💜 4.30 - 6.00 : DREAMS OF THE FUTURE: SEA-TALKS AND OPEN COMMUNITY DISCUSSION (with MPA BIRTHDAY CAKE….Maerl pink? Yes. We think so): Hosted by Dorian Jose with bite size talks by SCFF National Fishing Representatives, Maerl scientists and those who know their stuff about the sea. See below for speakers: they will share their hopes for the future on fishing, food security, and the coastal economy. Share your hopes for the future too, and ask any questions you like and either speak or put your thoughts on a paper-fish if you prefer. Everyone is invited to take part - diverse perspectives are welcome, indeed invited. MPA Birthday Cake provided free of charge.

💗 The Blue Hope Alliance has an exciting announcement to make at this discussion so come along to find out.

💜 EARLY EVENING: Stunning underwater photography & short films.

Underwater photos by George Brown of Inverness Sub Aqua Club - whose been diving our coastline for many decades and will share memories of the first ever underwater survey in the Summer Isles , back in the 1970’s. Stunning images. He was also buddy to cameraman Andy Jackson during his filming of herring. Not to be missed.

Aaron Forsyth’s film from many decades ago will be playing. Come see yourself - if you were one of those children he filmed.

✨⚓️🐟 🌈🩵MORE INFORMATION: DREAMS OF THE FUTURE SPEAKERS: Bite Size Talks up to 5 min maximum on what they’d like the future to hold.

The speakers are people with deep connection to the sea, from diverse perspectives, sharing the good, the bad and the challenges we face - having rolled up their sleeves and taken a stand for marine restoration, social and economic inclusion, they will provide enriching view points. Given most of them live locally it will be grassroots perspectives.

1- There will be exciting news from the Blue Hope Alliance.

2- WOSHH West of Scotland Herring Hunt Scientists are sharing a 5 min update on herring in the MPA. Great stuff.

And in no particular order:

3- Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation (SCFF) National Coordinator Bally Philp on SCFF, creel management in Scotland, MPA management and Environmental Standards Scotland.

4- Ali Hughson, Scallop Diver and owner of Keltic Seafare, Chair of SCFF and BHA founder & steering group.

5- The world leading Maerl Scientist Jason Hall Spencer. What we can do as our next steps to restore maerl'.

6- Artist-Sailor Diyanne Ross shares her MPA Boundary Marker Art work: a sector reflector made by her to mark the northern boundary of the MPA for its 10th year anniversary.

7- “Observations over 60 years in the marine environment of Coigach and the ability to predict the future” Dr Peter Fraser.

8- “How to live with grace in a finite world and build a sustainable future” John McIntyre.

9 - NatureScots Roddy MacMinn on surveys and the MPA.

More Speakers posted soon…

.( Alison Macleod will share her journey with maerl, from university to surveying to her marine collection. )

If you wish to present for up to 5 minutes get in touch. All are welcome to speak or just join in at the gathering and ask questions or share. The event is for all ages, the resident community, businesses, and visitors.

💓WE HOPE YOU WILL JOIN IN - get creative, host your own event alongside, or celebrate sea life and the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area in any way you wish.

More info: The event is hosted by volunteers from the community and the Blue Hope Alliance (a volunteer citizen science survey coalition documenting the seabed).

The Blue Hope Alliance’s films and ethos is inspired by indigenous cultures worldwide as well as the Highland heritage of traditional storytelling which keeps alive the deep connection to the natural world. We hope to play a part in ecological and cultural restoration and empower more community/ grassroots involvement in influencing the future of our seas. Please come and share - concerns and hopes, are all welcome.

MARKET FAIR: Some of those showing. Full list coming soon with artisans websites: Food: Little WagTail Bakes, Pickles & Sauerkraut, Seaweed Salts, Blue Hope Alliance Anniversary Maerl Mugs, Mary’s Jams & Jelly’s, Alimaccandles alimaccandles.com New summer Isles collection and Coigach range, Cath Bush Scoraig weave, Stonework & water colours E.

25th October 2024

7pm to 930pm

Torridon Community Hall IV22 2EZ

Get ready for a magical evening of discovery, inspiration, and connection as we dive deep into the underwater wonders of the northwest! This will be our 9th Blue Hope Alliance Film Night, and we have an exciting lineup prepared for you.

Over the past decade the Blue Hope Alliance has been working tirelessly to protect and conserve our marine environment through cross sector collaboration. Now we are looking ahead to even greater achievements together.

This is your chance to go on a virtual dive, learn about the fascinating species in our waters, and see what we’ve achieved through our surveys. Plus hear about the tremendous progress made by the Maerl Friends of Loch Torridon, one of group members.

Foraging and Seaweed