Three projects and schemes run for the benefit of Welsh coastal communities will share £59,000 in funding from The Crown Estate's programme of Marine Stewardship. Among them are two local projects, including the Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum who have received £21,000 over three years for their Outdoor Charter group and Marine Code Group. Both of these groups educate their members on Pembrokeshire's environment and wildlife. Meanwhile, £28,000 has also been awarded to the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales for their Skomer Island Heritage Experience. The money will go towards information boards and live camera feeds from key points on the island to two visitor centres in Pembrokeshire. Finally, RSPB Cymru continue their association with The Crown Estate by receiving £10,000 towards the cost of information officers at their Newport and Conwy nature reserves. The grants have been made from the latest round of awards from The Crown Estate's Marine Communities Fund, part of the organisation's programme of Marine Stewardship. Dr. Carolyn Heeps, head of policy, science and sustainable development for the Marine Estate, said: "The aim of our Marine Communities Fund is to provide support to initiatives and programmes which contribute to the development of best practice and make a significant contribution to the good management and stewardship of the marine estate. "We are delighted to support these three diverse projects, each of which we believe will bring real benefits to the coastal communities where they are based." The Welsh coastline will also benefit from £20,000 granted to the Marine Conservation Society towards their UK-wide Adopt-a-Beach and Beachwatch schemes, which operates a network of local communities who survey and clean litter from beaches. The deadline for applications for the next funding round for Marine Communities Fund projects is Thursday, October 25. This is for projects that are planned to begin after April 1, 2008, in the financial year 2008/2009.
