Our crowdfunder closed on 27 October 2026, having raised £6,311 from 88 supporters and Aviva match funding, to help more communities discover, monitor and care for the changing marine wildlife on their local coastline.

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A huge thank you to everyone who donated or spread the word, as well as the Aviva Foundation Communities Fund for matching donations. Your support will help us to sustain and grow our network of community hubs and allow more people to discover marine life through the Big Rock Pool Challenge.

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Why we crowdfunded

 Across the UK, thousands of people live just minutes from extraordinary marine habitats, yet many have never explored the rock pools, seaweeds and marine wildlife that make their local coastline so special.

The Big Rock Pool Challenge is bringing communities together to record and protect their local marine life through monthly rock pooling events. Our crowdfunder raised funds to sustain and grow our network of volunteer-led hubs, helping more communities build a lasting connection with their local coast and each other.

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Local action, national impact

We've already grown from two local hubs to ten volunteer-led hubs around the UK. Every month, each hub runs a free BioBlitz Battle where teams race against the clock to find and identify species, record them on iNaturalist and score points on live leaderboards in our custom-built app. We combine citizen science with technology and friendly competition to inspire people to keep exploring and build a strong national picture of how our shores are changing.

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Changes on our shores

Warmer seas and shifting weather patterns are already changing what lives in Britain's rock pools. Some warm-water species are becoming more common, while others are retreating. The rainbow sea slug, Babakina anadoni, is one example. Usually found in warm Atlantic waters off the coast of Spain, Portugal and France, it was first recorded in UK waters off the Isles of Scilly in 2022. In 2023, one of our Falmouth volunteers found what is believed to be the first in a UK rock pool, and it has since been recorded in increasing numbers across the south-west.

Our events encourage people to notice these changes and return season after season, building along-term picture of how their own coastline is responding to warming seas.

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What happens next?

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The funds raised will help us connect more people with their local shores in our new chapter, now that we’re officially a registered charity, The Rock Pool Trust.

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Your support will contribute towards:

·      Training and support for local volunteer leaders.

·      Equipment for community events.

·      Developing our BioBlitz Battle app and digital tools.

·      Delivering more local BioBlitz Battles.

·      Helping more people discover the wildlife on their own doorstep.

·       A strongernational picture of how Britain's marine wildlife is changing.

We'll also be continuing our efforts to secure the funding needed to sustain and grow our network of community hubs, building on everything we've achieved together so far.

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