Arty solution to pollution at Littlehampon’s West Beach

The Open the Door to the Shore project was launched with an Environmental Art Day on the beach, and on Saturday a spin-off “pop-up” exhibition in the Arun Ideas Shop in Beach Road, Littlehampton.

Artist Lou McCurdy used plastic washed up on the beach to create vibrant art works in the shop, which were on display just for the one day.

Open the Door to the Shore has been made possible thanks to a £9,680 grant from the Big Lottery Fund to Littlehampton Town Council, with the aim of creating a Friends of West Beach Group, and producing educational materials and a summer activity diary.

The project is a partnership between the town council and Arun District Council, in consultation with the Climping Gap Partnership and Arun Biodiversity Forum.

The funding will pay for an environmental project leader whose duties will include leading guided walks to show people the plants, birds and insects on the sand dunes and shingle and running educational events for groups, including schools and local community groups.

Volunteers will be recruited to carry out surveys of the plants and wildlife and specialist contractors will be employed to study groups of organisms living at the West Beach Site of Special Scientific Interest.

A full colour leaflet about the wildlife of Littlehampton’s East and West beaches will be produced, as well as an information pack aimed at older schoolchildren.

Rosie Parfitt, community resources officer for the town council, said: “In the region of 80,000 people visit West Beach each year and it is hoped that this fantastic summer season initiative will provide locals and visitors with plenty of fun educational and interactive opportunities whilst protecting the town’s natural environment.”

Councillor Paul Dendle, Arun cabinet member for the environment, said: “We are delighted to see the project get off the ground so we can work together to raise awareness of the fascinating marine and coastal wildlife that lives along our shores.

“The project hopes to recruit people from the community who may not have necessarily participated in a voluntary role before who have a passion for this wildlife and a desire to protect it.

“The activities on offer, such as the open days and educational events, will be a real draw for people of all ages.”

Lou, from Brighton, said Saturday’s exhibition had gone “amazingly well”, witn numerous visitors showing great interest both in the art works she created and in the problems of environmental pollution she was highlighting through the displays.

“Plastic is a weirdly attractive thing,” she said. “There are so many different colours and in the sea it is worn away and changed by the waves.

“But then you find out the damage it does to wildlife and it changes how you see it.

“The underlying message is that we are such a throw-away society, and most of what we throw away ends up in the sea.”