Funding secured for Sussex Bay marine projects along Worthing and Adur coast

Additional funding has been secured to support projects aimed at improving the marine environment and coastal communities across Worthing, Adur and the wider Sussex coastline.

The Sussex Bay initiative, hosted by Adur and Worthing Councils, works with more than 450 organisations to restore marine ecosystems along the coast from Selsey Bill to Camber Sands. Although coordinated by the councils, the programme is not funded by local or national government and instead relies on partnerships and external support to deliver its work.

Recent developments include the launch of Southwick Reef in January, a project led by Shoreham Port in partnership with Sussex Bay and other organisations to enhance marine biodiversity and encourage research and community engagement. Sussex Bay has also supported improvements at the Windsor Lawns Rotunda in Worthing, where a new facility for independent fishers to prepare and sell locally caught fish is expected to open this summer.

Community and environmental initiatives have also been delivered through the programme, including a coastal themed art exhibition and workshops at Colonnade House in Worthing. Meanwhile, around seven tonnes of discarded fishing nets were collected and recycled from a Worthing collection point last year, with the materials repurposed into items such as sunglasses and surfboards.