Skip to main content
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Severn Estuary Partnership

View a video about the Severn Estuary Partnership

Set up in 1995, the Severn Estuary Partnership (SEP) is an independent, estuary-wide non-statutory initiative led by local authorities and statutory agencies. We work with all those involved in the management of the estuary, from planners to port authorities, fishermen to farmers and many more with an interest in the future of the estuary.

Public engagement and outreach are central to the work of SEP. With support from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Welsh Government, SEP launched Discover the Severn in July 2018.

Discover the Severn

This is a community-focused project designed to connect or reconnect coastal communities with the coastline of the Severn Estuary to promote healthier lifestyles, improved access to nature and nature-based learning and personal well-being. The project was based in three communities in south Wales:

  • Castleland in Barry
  • Grangetown in Cardiff
  • Pilgwenlly in Newport.

There is a wealth of opportunity for recreation along the Severn Estuary, from water sports to history walks, rock-pooling to landscape photography. Discover the Severn aimed to promote access and recreation along the Severn Estuary in a number of ways.

The project ended in December 2019, but all of the different activities produced throughout Discover the Severn can be found on the website.

Litter Free Coast and Sea Somerset

Litter Free Coast and Sea Somerset (LFCSS) is a community campaign funded by Wessex Water to protect bathing water quality and reduce beach and marine litter along the Severn Estuary coastline, by encouraging and empowering individuals, local communities, businesses and schools to make informed decisions that ultimately reduce environmental impact.

LFCSS has developed a number of community campaigns and projects to tackle these issues:

Events

We are delighted to be running our Severn Estuary Spring Clean event from the 2 April - 10 April 2022. Joining forces with the Marine Conservation Society, Keep Wales Tidy and Keep Britain Tidy and their national campaigns, we are calling on all litter picking groups, individuals, community groups and businesses to join us in reducing the flow of litter into our seas.

In 2018 and 2019, we worked together with a huge range of beach cleaners around the Severn Estuary to mark the annual event and managed to record over 1000 volunteer beach cleaning hours via 31 beach cleans all around the estuary. This year we’d love to do the same thing, with the hope of inspiring even more residents, visitors and businesses to join us as we work collaboratively to #SpruceUpTheSevern!

We’re keen to highlight not only the work that goes into cleaning up our coast, but also the work that goes into cleaning up our inland streets and rivers all around the Severn Estuary area.

If you would like to join a clean, register your litter picking group for the event, or would like more information, get in touch with us via email at severn@cardiff.ac.uk, or via our social media channels @SevernEstuary.

Projects

  • Business Award Scheme – a voluntary business accreditation scheme to explore various aspects of local businesses with a view to reducing their impact on the coastal environment.
  • School Coastal Championships League – a voluntary school accreditation scheme, working with local schools to make changes that will benefit local nature, waterways and coastal environments.

Campaigns

  • 'Don’t Feed the Locals' – a campaign to encourage individuals to not feed seagulls as their faeces can impact the quality of bathing water.
  • #OnlyRainDowntheDrain – encouraging people not to dispose anything down storm water drains which can lead directly to rivers and lakes, eventually reaching the sea.
  • Fats Oils and Greases – a campaign to raise awareness about the impact of pouring fats, oils or greases down the sink which can lead to fatbergs, blockages and eventually pollution incidents.
  • Dog Fouling – encouraging people to pick up and bag their dog poo and dispose correctly.
  • #BinYourButt – campaign to encourage individuals to dispose of their cigarette butts responsibly.
  • #KeepItClean – a social media-based campaign to encourage individuals to keep their local beach clean and take their litter home.
  • #BringYourBeachHome – a social media campaign to keep people connected with their local beaches and blue space throughout COVID-19 lockdown.

Get in touch

For further information about our community events and activities, please contact:

Engagement Team