In the UK, no one lives further than 80 miles from the sea. It is an important part of many communities, and particularly in the North East, a cultural landmark. Yet, it is all too easy to take for granted the places we live. While I spent many hours of my summer scrolling through Instagram highlights, envious of my mutual’s sunny holidays in far flung places, there is a spectacular coastline right on my doorstep. 

Northumberland, home to our very own Geordie Shores, the best coastline you will find in the country. It is this coast that deserves celebrating. The Young People’s Forum is a group of 16-24 year olds who are passionate about wildlife and aims to connect young people with the Wildlife Trust. We come from all different backgrounds, and aim to incorporate all of our interests, so this year we planned an event focussed on marine wildlife. Hence, ‘Celebrate Our Geordie Shores’, where we spent a day at St Mary’s Island to engage young people with our coast. We spent the day conducting spotlight talks about marine wildlife, a bird walk, yoga and finally, a rock pooling session.

We can all agree on the importance of education for the next generation of young voices, but we need to actively engage young people to support their natural connection to nature. According to the University of Derby, nature connectedness drops after the age of 11, when children transition from primary to secondary education and become teenagers. It is clear that we need to do something to reconnect teenagers with our environment. During the day full of bird watching and rockpooling, I wondered when it was that I stopped doing simple things like climbing trees and making dens in the woods, playing outside. When we stopped being kids and started living outside of nature, rather than alongside it. It is my hope and ambition to rekindle this connection with our environment, and with better education and access to green careers, we can support the next generation to reconnect with our natural world.

Our coastal event at St Mary’s Island aimed to do just that. We slowed down enough to meditate on the beach, create art, and explore the rock pools so alive with creatures. It was rediscovering a world right beneath our feet. The rock pools are teeming with life, each a habitat of their own. We found all kinds of life; crabs, anemone, and I watched as shrimp gathered like vultures to feed on a mollusk. We were even lucky enough to spot a school of dolphins leaping out of the waves beyond the lighthouse.

Many of those I spoke with at the event talked of their own personal connection to Whitley Bay, had either lived their whole lives by the coast, or reminisced on childhood memories of visiting the island. This place connects us, and it was a beautiful thing to see everyone come together to share stories of passion, about their own lives, and the wildlife we share this coast with. This is why it is so important that we make time to celebrate nature that is right outside our doorsteps. 

“I mostly enjoyed learning new facts about our marine wildlife as well as meeting so many other young individuals interested in nature - I had no idea that there were so many others in my area that were interested!” - Laura

“I enjoyed chatting and networking with like-minded people and meeting up with those who I'd met at similar events. I loved rock pooling as I learned about so many new species and it was nice to connect to nature with others.” - Holly