The Gathering
Shambellie House are proud to be apart of project Gather organised by Solway Firth Partnership and funded by the The Scottish Government.
Project Gather celebrates volunteers who are effective cleaners of our coast, targeting beaches that collect marine litter to make the coast better for people and nature. As well as encouraging community beach cleans and recording the debris removed from beaches the project will reveal the world of the beachcomber and the stories of stuff found.
Nic Coombey from Solway Firth Partnership said “When cleaning a beach many questions spring to mind – what is that thing? – where did it come from? – why did it end up in the sea? – when did it get washed up? Seeking answers to these questions and searching for curiosities adds an extra dimension to the task of beach cleaning.”
Project Gather will feature local beach cleaners and their collections to generate interest in the global issue of marine debris and create opportunities to consider our relationship with plastic waste and the ocean. From smartie lids to toy soldiers, anglers’ lures to plastic ducks, the project will explore the collectors’ habits, the thrill of the hunt and the desire to gather objects because they are useful, beautiful or just weird and wonderful.
The Following courses are available at Shambellie House in partnership with Project Gather, numbers are limited.
Sunday 1 st March, 2026 from 10am – 3pm
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY ON THE BEACH: Tutor: David Moyes
Cost: FREE in assoc. with Solway Firth Partnership and funded by Marine Fund Scotland
Learn how to create beach portraits that reflect coastal beauty and the environmental
pressures shaping it. After our morning beach clean, join us for our photography session, where we build
directly onto the textures, materials and stories we’ve just gathered from the shoreline.
Monday 2 nd March 2026 from 11am – 4pm
SHINE A LIGHT ON MARINE PLASTIC with Carol Moyes
Transform recycled bottles into striking lamp bases that shines a light on the issues of
marine plastic pollution using what is gathered locally. drop in
Cost: FREE in association with Solway Firth Partnership and funded by Marine Fund
Scotland.
Monday 2 nd March 2026 from 10 – 11.30am
Monday 2 nd March 2026 from 11.30 – 1pm
WEIRD WASTE WORDS: making up marine litter stories with Anna Wilson
What (weird) waste objects wash up on the shores of the Solway? And what do they
tell us about our (weird) world Cost: FREE
Thursday 5 th March, 2026 from 12.30 – 4.30-pm
THE JOURNEY DIARY OF THE LITTER – CARTOONS FOR A CLEANER COAST
Comic strips With Jan Hogarth Cost: FREE in association with Solway Firth
Partnership and funded by Marine Fund Scotland
Join us for a creative, hands-on workshop where art meets environmental action!
This engaging cartoon strip session is inspired by Project Gather, focusing on marine plastic pollution,
beach cleaning, and the stories our coastlines can tell. Children, accompanied by adults are welcome.
