Author Archive: dgfarmer

Seawall Repair and Community building

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  • Click for full plans

North Berwick Trust Ltd Announces £2 Million Grant for Harbour Development Plan

North Berwick Trust Ltd (NBTL) is pleased to announce its commitment to supporting the North Berwick Harbour Trust (NBHTL) in advancing the next phase of the Harbour Development Plan with a turbo charging grant of up to £2,000,000 – the largest capital grant award in the history of the Trust.

Recognizing the harbour as a vital part of the town’s historic and cultural landscape, NBTL is committed to ensuring its future sustainability and enhancement.

Development plans for the harbour have gathered pace since the storms in October 2023. Substantial damage was caused to both the harbour wall and the walkway, exposing the harbour’s structural vulnerability and the urgency to strengthen sea defences. This new capital award builds on the repair work already completed, in large part due to NBTL funding of £190,000 alongside community fundraising efforts.

Following a detailed presentation by NBHTL to the NBTL Board on 25th February 2025, the Trust is thrilled to announce its support of this landmark project for North Berwick. With the grant offer valid for five years until March 2030, a key condition of the grant award is the transfer of ownership of the harbour area from East Lothian Council to NBHTL. Given the complexity of this process, an interim lease extension is underway to support grant funding requirements.

Treasurer of NBHT, Andrew Duns, explains:

“NBHTL sees the harbour as a valuable community resource that we are managing for the benefit of the town of North Berwick. We are working to put the whole area into ownership of the town for the benefit of the town’s residents. Restoring, repairing and developing the harbour is part of the process of taking ownership in the longer term.”

NBTL will fund each project element on a 50/50 matched basis, up to a total of £2,000,000. It is hoped and expected that by taking the lead as the first funders of this key development project for North Berwick, it will assist NBHT in securing match funding and turbocharge NBHTL’s fundraising efforts. The grant is also contingent on the project proceeding and securing sufficient additional funding.

NBTL Chair, Sir David Tweedie, expressed confidence in the vision for the harbour’s future:

“We fully recognize the importance of the harbour to North Berwick’s identity and economy. The Harbour Development Plan presents a forward-thinking strategy to enhance this vital asset, and we are delighted to offer our support. North Berwick Trust is determined to stand behind the Harbour Trust and we look forward to seeing the progress of this significant project to not only restore but enhance our beautiful harbour.”

The North Berwick Harbour Trust’s ambitious plan aims to improve facilities, enhance the visitor experience, and ensure long-term sustainability for the harbour. With this substantial financial backing from NBTL, the project moves closer to realizing its goals.

Link to documentation here

Storm Damage to Harbour

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The repairs to the harbour wall were completed in September 2024.

Many thanks to East Lothian Council, Marine Scotland, North Berwick Trust and all of North Berwick for the tremendous support we received to make this possible.

If you would like to see more information about how the funds were used please click this link for a PowerPoint presentation NBHTL slides public meeting Oct 2024

 

NB Movie night – proceeds to harbour wall funds

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On behalf of North Berwick Harbour Trust, NB Movies is presenting a second screening of Barbie on 17 November at 7.30pm at North Berwick Community Centre, Main Hall, 8 Law Road, North Berwick, EH39 4PN.

The nett proceeds of this will be donated to the Harbour Trust towards the repair costs from the recent storm damage.

NB Movies

Photographic exhibition in the Seabird Centre

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Alongside the amazing new mural there is a photographic exhibition in the Seabird Centre (next to the boat office) showcasing all the plastics, and many more, that were used in the mural project .. all found on one tiny stretch of a local beach. The exhibition is FREE and open every day until the end of June. Here are some examples of what’s on show… hope to see you there!

New artwork in NB Harbour

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On Saturday 25th March between 1pm – 4pm we are inviting members of the public to North Berwick Harbour to the launch of a unique artwork created from marine plastic to raise awareness about plastic pollution and the serious damage it inflicts on our natural environment.

At 8 metres long, the mural is one of the largest of its kind in the UK and makes a powerful statement that seeks to encourage individuals to take action. Accompanying the mural is a photography exhibition documenting the 100 beach cleans that collected the plastic and the creation of the mural. The exhibition will be free to view during the event on the 25th, but will be on display for around 3 months as part of the Seabird Centres Discovery Experience if you wish to visit at a later date.

The artwork was the idea of Jerba Campervans and Caledonian Horticulture, who in partnership with the North Berwick Harbour Trust, commissioned an award-winning local artist to create a unique, colourful mural made entirely from plastic recovered from a local beach. During the Covid lockdown, East Lothian local Elizabeth Vischer set herself the challenge to complete 100 beach cleans. Over the picks off a 200m stretch at Longniddry Bents no.3. she collected 26,513 pieces of plastic, around half of which have been used in the mural.

Located at North Berwick Harbour, close to the Bass Rock, the mural will stand as a daily reminder of the pollution in our local seas.

If you’d like to try and help with the issue of marine plastic there are some easy things you can do:
• Pick Up 5! Every time you visit the beach (or go on any walk), why not challenge yourself to take 5 pieces of litter home with you. If everybody did this, it would soon have a big impact.
• Don’t flush anything other than toilet paper down the toilet, particularly wet wipes and sanitary items as these often end up in the sea.
• Reduce, reuse, recycle. There is a reason reduce is listed first, it is the most important step in helping avoid marine plastic. Carry a reusable bag with you, choose loose fruit and veg, think before using helium balloons and disposable bbqs, take a refillable bottle with you. All these actions will help reduce the amount of litter on our beaches and in our seas.

To get involved in future beach cleans visit www.scottishcoastalcleanup.co.uk.

Harbour Master Cover

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Our Harbour Master, Ross, is currently off work and likely to be off for the next 4 weeks. In his absence Sandy Brodie, the Harbour Operations Manager will assume all authority of the Harbour Master. Sandy can be contacted here

Spotlight On: Operation Seabird

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A rise in marine life disturbances being reported and the predicted rise in numbers of visitors to our coastlines due to the stay local and staycation messages for Summer 2021,  has led to the creation of the Operation Seabird (#opseabird) campaign which has been designed to educate and inform visitors to our coastlines.

Operation Seabird is the brainchild of Geoff Edmond, the National Wildlife Coordinator for the RSPCA.  Whilst working with North Yorkshire and Humberside Police there were increased reports of dolphins being seen in the area attracting close attention and creating disturbance concerns as well as increasing reports of disturbance to seals.

seal

Recreational marine crafts had also been spotted getting close to the cliffs and disturbing the nesting seabirds who live there.

Geoff and his team established there was a joint prescribed need by the community and the local area to provide positive education and information to visitors in coastal areas. Operation Seabird hopes to tackle these problems by providing education and guidance to prevent wildlife disturbances from occurring in the first place and prosecute with the support of the local police forces and the MMO where necessary.

Puffins

Geoff said: 

The Message of Operation Seabird is that we want people to enjoy the beautiful wildlife in this country, but we don’t want it to be disturbed. People need to have respect and to know when to keep a safe distance from marine life. The RSPCA values the endorsement of the MMO in the Operation Seabird programme.

By being a partner in Operation Seabird, organisations like the MMO  are in agreement with the message to the general public to watch seals, dolphins, nesting birds from a safe distance and if any disturbances are witnessed, to report to the relevant authorities.

Due to the success of Operation Seabird locally in North and East Yorkshire this will be launched nationally on the 4 June 2021 at North Bay Beach in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. North Yorkshire Police and Humberside police are planning to be in attendance as well as representatives from MMO and RSPCA.

Doplphins

Targeted ‘Days of Action’ events will be taking place at UK coastlines across the Summer to focus on the specific concerns regarding marine life for that area.  This is a police led operation, which is now being adopted by other coastal Police Forces who are embracing this operation, working with the MMO and RSPCA in partnership with local nature partnerships and other conservation organisations.

The overall aim will be to raise the profile of the programme, engaging with boat operators, jet ski operators and the public, and providing clear guidance on how to protect the marine wildlife in that area.

COVID safety guidance for harbour users

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North Berwick Harbour is subject to the Scottish Government Level 2 restrictions.  Find out the rules on what you can and cannot do at https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-protection-levels/pages/protection-level-2/

Activity related guidance can be found at:

Public toilets, serviced by East Lothian Council, are open at the harbour.  Additional facilities, including accessible public toilets open from 9.00am to 8.00pm, are located at Quality Street, North Berwick, 320m away along Victoria Road:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Public+Toilets/@56.0599573,-2.7195642,16.17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xd2a99a7ff9ae0be5!8m2!3d56.0584118!4d-2.7171993