Discover the wonders of seaweed at unique free Cornish festival

The Cornish Seaweed Festival is set to take over Cornwall this month.

It is hosted by Natural England in partnership with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, the Mounts Bay Marine Group (MBMG) and the Linnean Society of London.

The festival will take place over two days on May 11 and 12 in Marazion.

Families attending the event can engage in a wide array of activities such as snorkelling, rock pooling and seaweed foraging.

The events are aimed at providing everyone a chance to learn about the diverse species found along the Cornish coastline.

Hands-on craft activities and cooking demonstrations will make seaweed more approachable, and artwork using seaweed will turn it into a thing of beauty.

Muriel Plaster from Natural England, one of the festival organisers, said: "Seaweed is often overlooked, but here off the coast of Cornwall, we have plenty of it.

"In fact, it’s fascinating and often beautiful, it can be used for a myriad of purposes and has an important role in the ecosystem.

"So, we hope to enthuse many people during the festival about just how wonderful seaweed is."

One of the highlights of this festival will be the rare opportunity to view the Nereis Britannica, a source of deep knowledge, written by Cornish botanist John Stackhouse.

This seaweed book was published in three volumes between 1795 and 1801, and it demonstrates the potential for seaweed that has remained largely unknown.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust's community engagement officer, Katie Bellman, highlighted their excitement to spread awareness about the uniqueness of marine species in Cornwall.

She said: "We’ll be exploring the weird and wonderful world of seaweeds, through fun and interesting marine activities such as a rockpool ramble and snorkel safari, whilst introducing people to the conservation of our seas through citizen science shoreline surveys and a silent disco beach clean."

In addition to sharing the rich heritage of Cornwall's seaweed, the festival is also intending to shine light on the crucial role seaweed plays in supporting wildlife and regulating marine biodiversity.

Attendees will have the chance to learn about the sustainable uses of seaweed in food, skincare and agriculture, and participate in conservation efforts.

This comes as part of the host organisations' endeavours to inspire, further discover, and enhance the special natural environment of Mounts Bay and the surrounding areas.

The Cornish Seaweed Festival is a free event, but advance booking is required for workshops and some events via Eventbrite.