Enormous support for 127

2,500 pledges of support for 127 Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in one week! An incredible result thanks to Sea Champions Harry, Hannah, Helen, Sarah, and Mike from the University of the West of England, Bristol.

The team spent seven hours a day for a week manning a stand at Bristol Zoo getting people involved in the campaign. Very well done everyone and a big thank you!

The consultation is now over, but we are still collecting pledges to hand to government next month.

If you haven't pledge yet, you can pledge here to show support for a full network of 127MCZs in English seas.

The wonders of British seas

Ron Crosby of the MCS Lancashire Local Group recently gave an inspiring talk about the wonders of our British seas at the Yorkshire BSAC Conference.

Supported by MCS Council Member Jan Mackaness and Sea Champion Samantha, the team of three did some sterling work to promote our campaigns and encourage divers to get involved in Seasearch.

Seasearch is our programme for volunteer divers who report what they see beneath the waves. This information helps us map out the seabed and identify the richest sites for marine wildlife around the UK. Sound interesting? Get in touch with your Volunteer Coordinator if you'd like to get take part in underwater surveys.

Ron Crosby presenting at the Yorkshire BSAC Conference.

World record attempt this weekend

The 24 Hour Bender!

This weekend, MCS fundraiser Fergal Glynn will attempt to break the world record of the longest cold water SCUBA dive by spending 24 hours underwater in the cold, murky, fast flowing water of Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland.

Fergal will enter the water at 1800hrs on the 20th of April near the site of the Empire Tana Wreck, locally known as the Inner Lees, in Portaferry on a daring adventure to break the world record while raising funds for a number of charities, including MCS. Click here if you'd like to sponsor this attempt and donate to MCS.

The event will be streamed live from under the sea via Ustream but everyone is welcome to come along to the dive site. In the words of the lead diver himself, “We are hoping to gather friends and family, to challenge our diving skills, to support and raise funds for marine charities while having loads of fun in the process”.

Keep up to date with Fergal's chilly challenge on social media:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/24hourbender/

Twitter: @24hourbender

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/24hourbender/

UStream: www.ustream.tv/channel/the-24-hour-bender

Fergal is set for a world record attempt this weekend!

Big cheer for our Brighton Marathon runners this weekend!

A team of four fundraisers are limbering up for the Marathon this Sunday, including Wales Sea Champion Lizzie Hobbs. You can sponsor the team by clicking on our runners names: LizzieHobbs;
RabiGuthrie; SusieStephen; and Tony Evans.

Why not come on down to Brighton to cheer on our runners? Get in touch with Ed ed.santry@mcsuk.org if you fancy a bit of cheer leading!

Fingers crossed for good weather! 
 

 

Well done Katie!

At the weekend, Sea Champion Katie Macer-Wright once again ran the Forest of Dean half marathon, this time dressed as a shark.

So far Katie has raised £533 for MCS, and the sponsors are still coming in! If you'd like to dig deep, you can sponsor her here.

Katie knocked 21 minutes off her previous record, finishing in 2 hours 26 minutess.

Congratulations Katie!

A cold day cleaning up Cramond

Sea Champions Neil Madigan and Sarah Conner braced themselves against 25mph winds with the Scottish MCS team at the annual Cramond beach spring clean.

It was a great turn out with 42 volunteers helping to spruce up Cramond beach to get it looking ship shape for spring.

10 bags, weighing a total of 55kg were collected from the 100m long survey area, and a further 14 bags were collected from the rest of the beach. A sterling effort by all.

One of the volunteers even found a set of false teeth amongst the beach litter - and that's not the first time false teeth have been found at Cramond!

Get involved in Beachwatch here.

 

A cold day cleaning up Cramond