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The National Lottery Heritage Fund Grant

The Blue Hope Alliance has launched “Scotland's Hidden Reefs: Saving Maerl, Herring and Underwater Ecosystems through Citizen Science, Advocacy and Storytelling” a three-year marine restoration project. Launched in 2026, the project celebrates our marine heritage in stories, surveys, films and events throughout the Northwest Highlands and is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s support.
In September 2026 we will host a Maerl-Herring Festival in the Summer Isles to mark 10 years on from the creation of the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area (MPA) – the largest ‘Maerl’ MPA in the world. At the project’s heart is our groundbreaking report by Professor Jason Hall Spencer on 10 years of citizen science maerl surveying. The report advocates for urgent action working with Government agencies to achieve ecosystem restoration.
Thanks to National Lottery players a community engagement officer will support activity with local people, business and visitors. The project will launch the first community-owned open source, underwater citizen science survey archive in the UK, curated by a marine scientist. We will upscale our survey evidence monitoring, working with the MV Honeydew dive boat science team, to share our discoveries, evidence gathering, and inspire others to engage with and understand the scale and beauty of our underwater habitats. (We do still have significant further fundraising goals to achieve – see below for details)
We will encourage and enable communities and marine groups of the northwest to come together to rebuild our relationship with the sea. To protect, restore and caretake our coastal heritage together. Inspired by the relationships indigenous peoples around the world share with nature, as well as Highland traditions, the project will rebuild connection to nature, and inspire our coastal communities to return this relationship to the very heart of our way of life. Our ‘network for nature’ encourages the sharing of knowledge, resources and talents in recognition of the fact that all species and people make up the web of life.
The Blue Hope Alliance is very grateful to all our supporter and funders including The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the North & West Fishery Board. To achieve our goals we must meet a further fundraising target of around £10,000 a year, please get in touch to find out more about how you can support Scotland’s Hidden Reefs. (Herring photo by Andy Jackson)

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The National Lottery Heritage Fund Grant