Basket Sharks and Cuttlesticks

Just some of the wonders at Festival for the Ocean!

Jun 11, 2026

Hello friends, and welcome to another exciting edition of The Algae Times.

I think I will be moving to a fortnightly newsletter going forward, unless we get any super exciting updates that just can’t wait. Things behind the scenes are chugging along at a steadier pace now, focusing on getting a team together and rounding up some more volunteers. Things at the land, however, are pretty dire, I won’t lie! Between being off my feet for a week or so with my hip, then the return of WINTER, there haven’t been many opportunities to get over there and get cracking.

However, I am in much better health now and really looking forward to getting stuck back in. I popped over there with our interns the other day, and the meadow grass has come in to fill the gaps where the docks and wild grasses had decimated any other growth - it looks good! I’m confident that when we get a good few days over there, we’ll be back on schedule in no time. Just need the wind and the rain to sort it out!

Ash x

Founder, Ocean Buffer Project CIC

📍 Cornwall, UK

Volunteers

We’ve had a huge amount of interest in volunteering recently, which is absolutely brilliant to see. If you’ve contacted Ocean Buffer Project about volunteering but haven’t heard back from me, please do check your spam or junk folder. I’ve replied to every enquiry I’ve received, but I suspect our fairly new email address is being treated with a little suspicion by some inboxes!

If you’ve expressed an interest but haven’t received anything, you can officially register here:

VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP FORM

Volunteers are one of the biggest priorities for Ocean Buffer Project right now. At the moment it’s largely me, alongside my wonderfully supportive partner, working away behind the scenes. We’re making progress, but if this project is going to reach its potential, I need more hands involved. Whether you can offer a few hours every week or just the occasional visit, it genuinely makes a difference.

Most of our current opportunities are practical outdoor roles helping us restore and prepare the land, establish biodiversity habitats and build the foundations of the project. That said, we now have a range of remote volunteering roles too, including administration, communications, research and social media support.

All volunteers receive the same benefits, whether they’re helping on-site or remotely. This includes access to free online training opportunities, networking events and wellbeing support resources, including access to free counselling packages through Care Coins. If you’d like to know more about any of the roles available, please get in touch.

I’m also looking to expand our advisory board, steering group, committee, whatever you’d like to call it! I’d particularly love to hear from anyone with experience of running a CIC, charity, environmental organisation, conservation group or community project. This can be as hands-on or hands-off as you’d like. Realistically, I’m looking for people willing to join a short online meeting every three months to review progress, ask questions and help steer the project in the right direction.

I’d especially welcome another Director to share the responsibility of running the CIC, as well as someone with a scientific background who could help ensure our methods, claims and future plans remain robust, evidence-based and grounded in good science.

If you’re looking for meaningful voluntary experience, something that strengthens your CV (and karma!) and contributes to a genuinely worthwhile environmental project, I’d love to hear from you. Ocean Buffer Project has the potential to become something much bigger than it is today, and I’d rather build it with a community than try to do it all alone.

Festival for the Ocean

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, we were invited to have a stand at Falmouth’s Festival for the Ocean last Sunday, hosted by Falmouth Town Council. It took place right on the sand on Gyllyngvase Beach, and was honestly just such a joy to be a part of - I was buzzing for days!

What was really great about Festival for the Ocean was seeing so many people and organisations coming together because they care about the same thing. From conservation groups and plastic awareness campaigns to underwater camera projects and marine education organisations, there was such a wide range of people doing positive things for the ocean. It was inspiring to spend the day surrounded by so many passionate individuals, all finding different ways to protect and honour the sea to celebrate World Ocean Day.

At the Ocean Buffer Project stand, we brought along a laptop microscope so visitors could get a closer look at shells, seaweed and stones from the shoreline. Several children even described it as “really cool”, which I have to say I completely agree with! We also had information about the project, a video showing what just 1ml of Tetraselmis looks like under the microscope and an example of our Ocean Clay Composite tile, which has locked away the equivalent of a week’s worth of mobile phone CO₂ emissions. Seeing a physical example of carbon storage seemed to really help people connect with what we’re trying to achieve.

We also ran a competition to guess how many algae cells were in a 1.5 litre culture of Tetraselmis. Yes, there was a giant jar of sweets involved and yes, I absolutely used it to encourage people to stop at the stall. I regret nothing. Thankfully, once people arrived, they stayed for the science. We had lots of conversations, plenty of questions, new newsletter sign-ups and several people interested in volunteering. The support and encouragement we received throughout the day was overwhelming, and honestly, the event couldn’t have gone much better!

Ocean Buffer Project at Festival for the Ocean, Gyllyngvase Beach, Falmouth, showing plankton — Festival for the Ocean

Falmouth University Interns

Our internship with the Falmouth University students has now come to an end, and what a fantastic experience it has been. Together, we’ve recorded and filmed some excellent content that would have taken me a very long time to create on my own and, in some cases, would simply have been impossible for me to capture at all.

Thanks to their work, the Ocean Buffer Diaries podcast will be filled with rich soundscapes, interviews and environmental recordings that really bring the project to life. We’ve also gathered video footage that will be turned into professional-looking reels and social media content, which is something I’ve always struggled with, so I am really looking forward to seeing! Having access to those skills and that creative expertise is incredibly valuable, and I’m genuinely excited to start sharing the results.

Its been a pleasure working with Lili and Bernice over the course of the internship. They’ve brought enthusiasm, creativity and professionalism to everything they’ve done, and the project is stronger because of their contribution. I’m very grateful for all their hard work and hope we’ll have the opportunity to work together again in the future.