Local Communities to share stories of Coastal Change in East Anglia

Pamela Pearson, also known as ‘the Wallasea Mermaid’, will be the first person to share her story as part of Holding Back the Tide – a new Heritage Lottery funded project delivered by CoastNet.

Pamela grew up on the banks of the Crouch Estuary in Essex where her parents ran the Wallasea Yacht Club. Pictured here, at the age of 20, in her homemade mermaid’s tail you can understand why she went on to be a professional synchronised swimmer – having nursed her passion for being on and in the waters of the Crouch from a young age.

‘King Canute couldn’t hold back the tide’ explains Dr Redding, CoastNet’s Network Manager, when asked about the meaning behind the project’s title, ‘nor can we hold back the tides of change. But by being aware of them helps to understand the present and take action for the future’ she said.

The project will involve collecting stories, pictures and artefacts from East Anglian (Great Yarmouth to the Crouch) communities to tell stories of coastal change in the region over the last 50 years or more.‘The telling and sharing of stories can generate great pride in both individuals and communities, as well as reinforcing the value of the coast itself’, says Suzanne Gattrell, project coordinator.

Holding Back the Tide will culminate in a travelling exhibition that celebrates this coast and changes faced as told by its inhabitants, thereby providing a lasting resource for the region’s community.‘Projects of this kind …[help to] foster a positive notion of identity in a changing environment’, said James Steward from Great Yarmouth’s Time and Tide Museum, in support for the initiative.

CoastNet has begun work with schools, community groups and museums throughout the area but would like to hear from anyone who, like Pamela, has a story to tell or picture to share about life along this fascinating coast.