A Sea of Creativity: Captain Kelp and Stronger Shores Take Centre Stage
Art
Our partners at Durham Wildlife Trust and Tees Valley Wildlife Trust had an incredible day at the Festival of Thrift, proudly representing Stronger Shores alongside the amazing Whippet Up CIC.
Audiences enjoyed Rise Up!, Whippet Up’s vibrant series of performances, which brought the story of our coastlines to life in a truly unique way. Held at Camp Thrift on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st September 2025, the shows ran throughout the day at 11:30am, 1:45pm, and 3:30pm, with BSL interpretation available during the first performance on Saturday.
Through puppetry and music, the show introduced Captain Kelp – a shoreline superhero – alongside a cast of eccentric puppets, sharing how kelp can help protect our coasts from erosion. 🎭🌱 Adding to the magic, the talented Amelia Coburn worked with the group to create a catchy tune that had everyone humming along.
This spectacular finale marked the end of an inspiring collaboration between Stronger Shores and Whippet Up – a project that truly showed the power of art in telling environmental stories and engaging communities in coastal resilience.
Stronger Shores is funded by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme which is managed by the Environment Agency.