The project
Hiraeth Yn Y Môr (HYYM) was a community-led project working in North-East Wales to connect local people with the ocean on their doorstep
About the project
Thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund on behalf of the Welsh Government, between April 2023 and March 2025, we worked closely with the coastal communities of Prestatyn, Rhyl, Kinmel Bay and Towyn to grow ocean literacy, improve the sustainable management of the local marine heritage, and promote the health and wellbeing benefits of connecting with our ocean.
A community-led approach
Our project was led by the first ever One Ocean Forum, a group of diverse voices tasked with ensuring Hiraeth Yn Y Môr met the needs of the local community and environment.
Watch our short documentary to hear from community members who shaped the project.
Why does it matter?
Research has shown that time by the coast and sea brings real benefits for our health and wellbeing, and that people who connect their wellbeing with the coast and sea are more likely to want to look after it.
Caring and connecting with the ocean is important for many reasons:
- The HYYM project area sits within the Liverpool Bay Special Protection Area: Prestatyn, Rhyl, Kinmel Bay and Towyn sit within Liverpool Bay SPA, an area that has been designated for red throated divers, common scoters and waterbird assemblage.
- We need the ocean to survive: The ocean produces around 50% of the Earth’s oxygen.
- The ocean supports our economy: The coastal and marine environment is an great natural asset, contributing £6.8 billion to the economy of Wales and supporting more than 92,000 jobs.
60
%
of Wales' population of live and work near the coast
16
km
of coastline from Prestatyn to Kinmel Bay
8/10
people in Wales report that visiting the sea is good for their mental and physical health
Meet the team
The One Ocean Forum, a group of diverse community members, led the project by advising the core project team.
The core project team was made up of Ffion, Ciara, Millie, Nat, and Kaitlin.
The HYYM team was also supported by staff from across the Marine Conservation Society.
The diagram below shows how different parts of the project team fit together.
If we can support people to get out there and experience their local coast and sea and build a lasting relationship with it, I hope in turn that will result in better protection of the marine environment and improved individual health and wellbeing, too.
Ffion Mitchell, HYYM Project Legacy Lead
Credit: Ciara Taylor
I was drawn to the project because of the focus on people. I am a strong believer that environmental justice and social justice are inextricably linked, meaning to make any progress on environmental issues, we must include people and communities.
Ciara Taylor, HYYM Project Lead
Credit: Nat Lewis
As someone who feels a strong connection with the sea as an essential part of my wellbeing, I love being able share that connection and passion with others. I’m so thrilled to join the HYYM team for this exciting final phase of the project to help ensure the legacy of this work lives on.
Kaitlin Magliano, HYYM Project Assistant
Credit: Nat Lewis
In March 2024 I started volunteering for Hiraeth Yn Y Môr as a One Ocean Forum member. Having a background in zoology and conservation, I was passionate to get involved in this local community conservation project. What I enjoyed most about the One Ocean Forum meetings was connecting with a diverse group of people in the community, sharing ideas and opinions to help shape the project.
Nat Lewis, HYYM Project Support
Credit: Millie Main
Having grown up in North Wales and spent the last four years living in South Wales, I am passionate about the Welsh coastline and ensuring we are working hard to educate communities on protecting it.
Millie Main, HYYM Project Assistant
One Ocean Forum
Credit: Mark McNulty
The Forum was developed to ensure that the HYYM Project was truly community-led. The project team wanted to make sure that all our decision making was informed by the local people living in the project area.
Our members
We have a diverse range of members with different backgrounds, including those who have never previously been involved in marine conservation, and members who have worked in or studied marine conservation. Our youngest member is 11, and our oldest is nearly 80!
The Forum is a place for these community members to come together and share their opinions to guide the direction of the project, and to connect with each other.
Our Forum led the direction of the Ocean Connection Programme, devising the Programme’s structure and suggesting ideas for the activities we could deliver. The suggestions from Forum members shaped the programme of activities that were delivered from July 2024 - February 2025. Find out more about the Ocean Connection Programme and the types of activities delivered here.
The Forum also co-designed our Ocean Literacy leaflet and Ocean Literacy Guide with us, two resources that can be used to learn more about our relationship with the sea and how to get involved. The co-design process started when we asked the Forum what they would want to see from a leaflet and guide. They suggested a range of ideas that we took to our design team. We took their draft leaflet back to the Forum who provided lots of feedback, which was used to produce the final resource. You can now download and read the final versions of both resources on our ocean literacy webpage.
In the final Forum meetings, each Forum member designed an individual marine conservation action plan to outline their goals to continue their own ocean literacy journey or support others ocean literacy journeys beyond the HYYM project.
Credit: Mark McNulty
Project updates
Read our monthly updates and find out more about how the project progressed.
Credit: Ciara Taylor
Contact us
If you have any questions about HYYM you can reach Ciara at ciara.taylor@mcsuk.org.
Check out our social media pages below. Please not these pages are not being monitored or updated beyond March 2025.
This project was supported by the Nature Networks Programme which is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Welsh Government.
