OUR BLUE HEART - an exploration of what the sea means to people in the UK
Marine Conservation Society (MCS)
Partner organisation of the Watches
In summer 2018 the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) put together a film crew with a mission to get to the very heart of what the sea really means to people in the UK. The crew conducted interviews across the country to investigate people’s experience of and relationship with our ocean. The resulting film, Our Blue Heart, reveals that, for many of us, the coast and sea play a unique and irreplaceable role. Sadly, the profound importance of blue space to our very health and wellbeing is often overlooked when it comes to important decisions about our coast and sea.
The ocean makes us feel good
The sea and coast as a source of calm, relaxation and restoration came up the most frequently in the filmed interviews conducted for Our Blue Heart. While many of us would probably agree that being by the coast brings with it a sense of calm, happiness and fulfilment, MCS wanted to clearly understand how our interview group compared to the country as a whole. So we conducted an accompanying national survey which found that 77% of people who had visited the sea in the last 12 months said they felt happier, 81% said they felt healthier when they were by the coast and sea.
Early exploration of all our data suggests a complex web of interconnected values and feelings underpinning these beneficial experiences. During interviews people talked about the time at the sea providing a sense of freedom, of escape, of connection to nature, accomplishment, fun, inspiration, creativity and spirituality.
For many people the connection is deeply sensory – sounds, smells, colour, and particularly the fresh sea air are a central part of being by the sea.
The ocean provides livelihoods and quality of life
The sea and coasts’ contribution to material wellbeing through livelihoods in the fishing, ship building, leisure and recreation industries, for example, is part of the social fabric of our coastal towns and cities. What was interesting when interviewing people for whom the ocean can be an office, was their deep connection to the water – often passed from one generation to another. As well as helping put food on the table, time by the coast and sea was clearly important to people’s sense of physical and mental health and wellbeing.
The ocean connects people
For many, the coast is a uniting force, bringing about not only a sense of community, but encouraging people to harken back to time spent with friends and family by the sea. Almost without exception people recalled fond childhood memories – often in startling detail – of particular days or experiences that live on in their minds. This lasting positive effect of time in blue spaces is something we are particularly interested in exploring. In our survey almost 70% of people who had visited in the last 12 months said they feel the benefit of time spent by the coast and sea even when they are away from it.
There was also a strong sense of the sea and coast being a route to connecting to culture, whether in geological, historical or a ‘family history’ sense. Whilst for others, the sea and coast connected individuals to themselves, developing a sense of belonging, identity and feeling part of their place.
We feel better if we know the ocean is thriving
As more of us live in increasingly urban areas, an opportunity to spend time by the coast with a sense of space brings with it a feel good factor, of being able to interact with nature and feel part of something bigger. In our survey 75% of people who had visited the coast in the last year said they feel better just knowing that the coast and sea and all the plants and animals living there are thriving. Being by the sea, many of those interviewed felt that they were able to care for and support the environment, whether that was part of their job, a hobby or passion, and that in turn contributed to their own sense of wellbeing.
Throughout the myriad ways in which the coast and sea promote a sense of wellbeing, it is clear that the ocean is a uniting force which improves our sense of self and connection to others and the environment. This incredible resource deserves our respect, admiration and love. There has never been a more critical time for people, whatever their walk of life or position in the world, to do what they can for our Blue Heart – from global leaders to you and I. From the research we have conducted to inform Our Blue Heart it is clear that supporting and protecting our ocean is crucial, not just to supporting the rich marine ecosystems below water, but also to safeguard the future wellbeing of those who live above and beside it.
Watch a short extract of the film below, and use #OurBlueHeart on social
The full version of Our Blue Heart is available for local screenings so please get in touch if you would like to help share the love with a community screening near you.