Hiraeth Yn Y Môr
HYYM team with EMSEA conference delegates | Image credit: EMSEA conference delegate, 2024
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.
16
Km
of coastline from Prestatyn to Kinmel Bay
60
%
of Wales' population of live and work near the coast
8/10
people in Wales report that visiting the sea is good for their mental and physical health
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
Project Evaluation
Want to read more about the HYYM project and its impacts? Download our evaluation report by Dr Emma McKinley.
Project sponsors
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.
This project was also been made possible thanks to the generous donations from 71blue, Gaynor Cemlyn-Jones Trust, Ninevah Trust, and Garfield Weston Foundation.
