enews | Dorset Coast Forum

DCF eNews Winter 2025/26

See the full eNews update here >>

DCF Conference 2025 – That’s a Wrap!

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the Dorset Coast Forum Annual Conference on 19th November. This year was extra special as we celebrated 30 years of Dorset Coast Forum – a fantastic milestone for our coastal community!

The event was a great success, with 100 members coming together to enjoy 12 inspiring presentations, grouped into three thought-provoking sessions:

Rising to the Challenge: Navigating Climate and Ecological Crises
The Changing Tides: Fishing and Marine Nature Recovery
Shorelines and Stories: Building Coastal Community Connections

We’re incredibly grateful to our speakers for their engaging contributions, the information stand exhibitors, our hosts at RNLI College in Poole, and our generous sponsors: Suttle Projects, who sponsored the conference and DCF’s 30-year celebration and Moffatt & Nichol who sponsored their information stand.

For more details of the conference, including presentation slides, see DCF Annual Conference 2025

25th Anniversary of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site

2026 marks 25 years since the Jurassic Coast was inscribed as a World Heritage Site for its exceptional and globally valuable geology, palaeontology and coastal geomorphology.

In celebration of this milestone, many stakeholders along the World Heritage Site are running special events and exhibitions. We will be helping to promote these events and have created a 25 year logo to help mark celebrations that are associated with the anniversary. See the full eNews for events planned in your area.

Do you have any events you would like to use to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the WHS? Contact us to let us know!

For advice about the World Heritage Site you can contact Sam at sam.scriven@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk and 01305 224739

Outdoor Classroom Day – 21 May 2026

Schools across Poole and Purbeck are invited to celebrate Outdoor Classroom Day on 21 May 2026 with DCF and partner organisations including South West Flood & Coastal, Andrew Simpson Centres and Litter Free Dorset. Co‑hosted this year by the National Trust, the event will take place at Shell Bay, Studland. Following a successful 2025 event engaging 7 schools and over 160 pupils, this free day of outdoor STEM activities (suitable for Years 5–9) promises even more fun and learning.

Find out more and register your school’s interest via Save the Date! Outdoor Classroom Day 2026 is 21 May!

Data from the 2025 boating season shows strong positive outcomes for the SBMP Eco‑Mooring Project, which protects Dorset’s largest seagrass meadow. All 87 eco‑moorings were well used, alongside continued scientific research led by the University of Southampton. SBMP volunteers analysed over 45,900 time‑lapse images monitoring compliance with the Voluntary No Anchor Zone (VNAZ). Results show excellent behaviour by boaters:

73% used a mooring
14% anchored outside the VNAZ
Just 8% anchored within seagrass meadows — a significant reduction from previous years

Encouraging signs of seagrass recovery were recorded in former anchor scars, alongside the highest number of seahorse sightings to date during monitoring dives.

While compliance remains high, paid mooring use reached 45%, an improvement on 2024 but still below the level needed to sustain the project long‑term. Continued support is vital to ensure eco‑moorings remain available in future seasons.

To find out how to support the project, pay to moor for the 2026 season, or attend engagement talks and events, visit the SBMP project page >> Studland Bay Marine Partnership | Dorset Coast Have Your Say

See the full eNews update here >>

DCF eNews January 2025

Download the full January 2025 eNews here

Main image: DCF team member Ziggy the Collie, winter walking at the Fleet, Chesil Beach (Credit Sara Parker)

DCF News Summary

Celebrating 30 Years of DCF in 2025!
This year marks a significant milestone for DCF as we celebrate our 30th anniversary. Over the past three decades, DCF has achieved remarkable success, thanks to the continued support of our partners, collaborators, and coastal communities.
To commemorate this journey, we have exciting celebration plans in store. Stay tuned for updates in the coming months!

The Great Gale exhibition is back for 2025!
After the success of the touring exhibition across the Dorset coast last autumn, the exhibition will be on display from Monday 27 January at Swanage Tourist Information Centre until mid-March. The exhibition delves into the history of the hurricane-force storm that devastated the Dorset Coast in 1824, explores the lasting impacts and how to prepare and predict for a similar event should that ever happen again. More dates and venues for 2025 will be announced shortly!

Youth Engagement
Sara enjoyed a brilliant evening with Portland Youth Council as a guest of Island Community Action. They discussed local flood and coastal erosion projects, resilience to climate change and listening to the youth council’s own ideas on how best DCF and partners can connect with and imbed the ideas, suggestions, and solutions of young people in our project communities. Following the launch of DCF’s Education Hub we hope to increase opportunities for young people to have their say.

Outdoor Classroom Day, Atlantic Academy Portland
Sara and Nikki visited Atlantic Academy, Portland this month to run coastal management sessions with Year 6 and Year 11 students. Activities included using our wave tank providing an immersive experience of how different coastal defences can help to protect our coastal communities. See the flood tank in action on our Outdoor Classroom Day page.