COAST News
NEW MARINE DISCOVERY CENTRE AHOY!
From Manuela de los Rios, Communications and Administration Officer
COAST (Community of Arran Seabed Trust) Nature of Scotland 2014 Award Winners
Office: 01770 600656 www.arrancoast.com Scottish charity No. SC042088
It has taken 20 years of community learning, education, campaigning and research on Arran for the establishment of the first community-led No Take Zone in Scotland and the South Arran Marine Protected Area.
Our community believes now it is the right time to give more people the opportunity to feel inspired, experience and learn about our amazing marine environment and how to take care of it through our proposed Marine Discovery Centre.
After considering various sites, we decided the Lamlash tennis courts and pavilion that the Bowling Club could not sustain would be the right location for this community-led project. The purchase money will help keeping the Bowling Club’s assets and two of the four tennis courts for the village will be upgraded and maintained by COAST. Our research has shown that visitors think this a fantastic idea and over 80% of those interviewed would visit us once we are open!
We are delighted with the support received at the public meeting in April. It has been great to have had so many residents involved; sharing great ideas that we hadn’t thought of, voicing concerns we will attempt to address and shaping the proposal with us. There is still much to be decided, the new build is unlikely to happen before 2018 and COAST will be planning and developing content and ideas in collaboration with other community groups and individuals throughout the next few years.
The new centre will be structured in a way that encourages learning by doing, by making, by asking. Hands-on, interactive and changing exhibitions with input from the community will make this centre a dynamic and creative hub. Visitors will be able to engage in innovative and fun activities, work and learn alongside with marine scientists and enjoy exciting experiences. For example you could be going for a virtual dive in a small submarine, a guided snorkel tour or just marvel examining a whale skeleton or the interesting history of fishing and marine protection on Arran.
If you have any questions, want to share any ideas or help us design and deliver this project, please get in touch with us by email info@arrancoast.com , by phone 01770600656, or just pop in for a chat in our office at the Old Haybarn in Lamlash. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
