Wick Waves’ - Local Sea Festival

• copy of leaflet

The Highland Council’s Countryside Ranger Service, with funding and support from the Highland Seashore Project, have come together with local community groups, organisations and businesses in Wick to run a week of Seashore related events from the 21st to the 26th September.

This week of free coastal festivities has been titled Wick Waves and brings artfully together the exploration of the huge diversity of life on the coast; the influence the coast has had on shaping Wick its self and local art, books, food, music and sport. There is so much to be appreciated from our Highland coasts and Wick boasts a huge amount of coastal diversity from its wildlife to its heritage and culture.  

The events include everything from coastal walks and talks, have a try at coastal rowing with the Rowing Club, Lots of activities from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Trust, Astronomy for seafarers, kayaking have-a-go sessions, displays at the Caithness Archive Centre, sustainable sea food with Jim Crowe from the Captains Gallery Restaurant and so much more. There’s a lot on to please families all week with kids crafts, Play Away Music will be there with sea themed songs, a book challenge at the library, a meet and greet with life from beneath the waves and a crabbing competition.  

The Caithness Rangers are masters of the art of event organisation for the Highland Seashore Project, after all who can forget the last two Seashore Shenanigans, which delivered art, music, storytelling, crab hunts and beachcombing in a fast-paced two hours for 200 participants. It was so good in 2014 at Keiss Harbour, that they repeated it twice more this summer at Keiss and Lybster with over a hundred people at each.  

Senior Ranger Marina Swanson said: “This week is all about celebrating our deep connection to the sea with a range of talks and activities, available for free due to the Highland Seashore Project and the support of so many local partners who have made this possible.”  

Ranger Sam Watson added: “The town of the Silver Darlings is shouting loud and proud about its link to the sea and the coast this week. The heart of Wick doesn’t stop at the harbour wall but extends out into the North Sea and we are just showing what that means to all of us.”

Copies are also available at request with information and bookings at The Countryside Rangers 01847 821531, or email Samuel.Watson@highland.gov.uk

The Seashore Festivals are being hosted by local communities, proud to show off their Seashores and supported with the assistance of the Highland Seashore Project, a three-year initiative to get local communities out on their shores and feel excited about how amazing our Highland Coasts are. All events by the Highland Seashore Project are free; as Janet Ullman the project coordinator said: "It’s all about getting people out on to the coast and appreciating the wonder of it all."

The Highland Seashore Project is working with the Local Highland Rangers, community groups, local museums, visitor centres and other organisations, all of whom are involved with promoting or protecting the coast for the communities the shores support and the wildlife there. Wick Waves is the finale event of the project after eight Roadshows, Twelve Seashore Festivals, twenty-one Seashore Days, ninety Local Seashore Life Surveyors and twelve Seashore Life Identification Workshops. With over seven thousand participants and the involvement of over eighty community groups, organisations, individuals and local businesses from all over the Highlands.

To find out more about the other festivals and events which happened over the last three years, please go to the project web site at http://www.highlandseashore.org.uk/ or the project facebook page at Highland Seashore Biodiversity Project.

To find out more please contact Janet Ullman on janet@highlandseashore.org.uk., and Marina Swanson of the Highland Council Ranger Service at marina.swanson@highland.gov.uk