Intertidal seagrass snorkel collection | Torpoint, 26 August

People walking across mud in waders

Lewis Jefferies

Intertidal seagrass snorkel collection | Torpoint, 26 August

Location:
Thanckes car park, Torpoint PL11 2JN, Torpoint, Cornwall, PL11 2JN
Book
Volunteer with us and collect intertidal seagrass seeds from a healthy meadow in Torpoint as we restore Cornwall's lost seagrass.

Event details

Meeting point

Slipway at the end of King Street
View on What3Words

Date

Time
9:45am - 1:30pm
A static map of Intertidal seagrass snorkel collection | Torpoint, 26 August

About the event

a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; }

Join us and help restore Cornwall's precious seagrass meadows.

Seeding Change Together is a partnership project between Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Seasalt Cornwall, working to study, protect, and restore seagrass habitats around Cornwall's coast. Seagrass meadows are incredibly important marine ecosystems, providing shelter for wildlife, improving water quality, and helping to lock away carbon.

A key part of the project is our annual programme of seagrass seed collection, storage, and planting, and we're looking for enthusiastic volunteers to support this vital conservation work.

What will I be doing?

Volunteers will help collect seagrass seed pods from a healthy intertidal meadow near Torpoint during low tide. To access the meadow, we use mudshoes and bodyboards (provided by us) to move safely across the mudflats. Once at the meadow, volunteers kneel on the bodyboards and carefully collect seed pods from the seagrass plants.

You can see what to expect by watching our volunteer video: Introduction to Seagrass Volunteering

Is this activity suitable for me?

This is a rewarding but physically demanding activity. Walking across the mud can be hard work on the legs and knees, and seed collection involves regular kneeling and standing up over a period of several hours. The seed pods are only a few centimetres long, so reading glasses may be helpful if you use them.

For safety reasons, the group will remain together on the mud throughout the session. We expect to spend approximately 2 to 3 hours collecting seeds before returning to shore.

Parking and Facilities

There is free on-street parking near the site, as well as a pay-and-display car park. Please note that there are no public toilets at the meeting location. The nearest public toilets are located at Thanckes Park, Torpoint.

Transport from Allet

Our team will be travelling to the site from the Cornwall Wildlife Trust offices in Allet, near Truro. If you would like a lift in our van, please get in touch to reserve a space, as places are limited.

We look forward to welcoming you and working together to help restore Cornwall's seagrass meadows.

Know before you go

Dogs

No dogs permitted

Mobility

Please note that this activity takes place on an intertidal mudflat and involves walking across uneven, muddy terrain using snow shoes, followed by periods of kneeling on bodyboards while collecting seed pods. 

Volunteers can expect to spend 2 to 3 hours on the mud as a group, and the activity can be physically demanding on the knees, legs, and lower back. 

Unfortunately, the site is not wheelchair accessible. 

There are no facilities at the meeting point. Please use the public toilets at Thanckes Park on the way into Torpoint, or the toilets on the ferry if you are coming from Plymouth.  

What to bring

Please come dressed for the weather and prepared to get muddy.

  • Waterproof trousers and a waterproof coat that you don't mind getting dirty
  • Walking boots, well-fitting wellington boots, or ankle-height wetsuit boots (wetsuit boots can be provided on request)
  • A packed lunch and water bottle
  • Sunglasses, sun cream, and a sun hat in warm weather
  • Warm layers for cooler conditions
  • Reading glasses, if needed

Contact us

Nia Clarke
Contact number: 07973 400183