Words by Hannah Tapping
For a long time, our Chairman and Founder, Andy Forster, has considered it should be the right of every child to walk on a beach and feel the sand between their toes. “This is why I set up Dive Project Cornwall,” he explains. “As a not-for-profit, community interest company with ocean conservation at our heart, we want to give young people this very experience, but take it one step further by giving them sight of our amazing underwater world as well. Then, through their own appreciation of the wonders of the marine environment, we aim to inspire thought as to how we will look after our beaches and oceans and preserve them for future generations to enjoy. The success of this lies in educating hundreds of thousands of young people and we are thrilled to be able work with the Marine Conservation Society to launch a comprehensive education programme directly into secondary schools across the UK.”
Hannah Tapping
At the heart of Dive Project Cornwall is a competition, launching in January 2022, for 400 lucky teenagers to win the experience of a lifetime; a six-day, life-changing trip to Cornwall where they will learn to scuba dive with PADI, enjoy outdoor adventures, take up beach- related activities and attend presentations from leading marine industry experts. The aim is for these 400 lucky teenagers to become Ocean Influencers and to qualify as PADI Open Water divers; they will then act to positively engage, inspire and motivate the next generation to save our planet. “The competition acts as an incentive for people to get involved,” says Andy. Dive Project Cornwall are currently collaborating with numerous ocean-based charities including Shark Guardian Trust, Cornwall Air Ambulance and the Blue Marine Foundation to spread the message far and wide. “We are also actively promoting the project via multiple media partners,” Andy continues, “our collaborating charities and media partners will help deliver our key messages to thousands of young people and millions of adults. In order to achieve our goal we are currently actively seeking new partners and sponsors as we develop our financial and resource network.”
As a proud media partner of Dive Project Cornwall, we at DRIFT encourage anyone with a shared interest in ocean conservation and education to make contact, as the project endeavours to positively engage, inspire and motivate the next generation to save our planet.