Director's message
As winter eases and coastal places begin to shift into a new season, this February newsletter offers a moment to take stock—of what we’ve been working on, and where our conversations are heading next.
Before the winter holidays, we launched our new Centre e-brochure, bringing together coastal research from across the University of Essex. It reflects the range of issues shaping life in coastal communities, from young people’s futures and mental health to environmental sustainability, culture, and place-based inequality, and our commitment to research that is grounded in place and shaped through partnership.
We also look back on recent activity, including our contribution to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Coastal Communities briefing in November, where we shared evidence on the challenges facing young people in deprived coastal areas and discussed practical priorities for change.
Alongside this are highlights from recent events, including the ARISE initiative's recent Community of Practice Day at the University of East Anglia and Dr Tony Sampson’s presentation at the i-Place conference in Manchester.
Looking ahead, the newsletter sets out a busy programme of upcoming seminars and events, including our Spring seminar on ‘Building Social Infrastructure in the Public Realm Through Practice’ with Martin Collins, Founder and CEO of Arts Trust speaking, and contributions to national discussions on coastal youth and mental health.
Thank you for staying connected with the Centre for Coastal Communities. I hope this newsletter gives a sense of the momentum behind our work and the direction we’re moving in together.
- Dr Emily T Murray, Director and Reader, Centre for Coastal Communities
Centre for Coastal Communities e-brochure
We are delighted to share our new e-brochure! It brings together the inspiring coastal research happening across the University of Essex -from improving health and wellbeing and tackling inequality, to supporting young people, protecting coastal environments, celebrating local culture and heritage, and working alongside communities and decision-makers to drive real change.
Centre for Coastal Communities Spring seminar
Building Social Infrastructure in the Public Realm Through Practice
Monday 2 March, 12:00-13:00, Lakeview Room (Silberrad Centre) and Online
Martin Collins, Founder & CEO of Arts Trust Productions, is speaking about the development of Social Infrastructure via the delivery of cultural events such as Arts Trust’s music and food festivals, and the future work of Creative Tendring.
Register on Eventbrite to attend!
APPG for Coastal Communities
In November, Dr Emily Murray, along with colleagues Prof Avril Keating, Dr Sam Whewall, Polly Braden, and Lisa Bachelor, was honoured to present to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Coastal Communities on the challenges faced by coastal youth in England. Key findings relayed from the Centre included that young people in the most deprived coastal communities show significantly worse mental-health outcomes and lower educational progression compared with inland peers; this is largely driven by concentrated socio-economic disadvantage (low incomes, private renting, limited higher-education access).
Practical priorities agreed by all included increasing meaningful youth involvement in planning and decision-making, reopen and sustainably fund youth centres and youth-facing social infrastructure, tackle transport and connectivity barriers that limit access to jobs, education and services, and address housing quality and concentrated poverty as a structural challenge that underpins many outcomes.
Forthcoming external events
Insights 2026: Children and young people’s futures
27 February, 9:00am - 5.00pm, Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre 108 Stamford Street London SE1 9NH.
Dr Emily Murray will be presenting at the launch of Understanding Society's report "Insights 2026: Children and Young People's Futures". Register your place online.
Young people in coastal communities and mental health
25 February, 2.30-3.30pm (online)
KCL Centre for Society and Mental Health
Dr Emily Murray will discuss the environments of English youth and their association with mental health. She draws on research linking economic, social, educational, and built environmental variables, from the Understanding Society dataset. She will examine whether environmental characteristics during adolescence, or socio-demographics, explain her previous findings that adolescents living in the most deprived coastal neighbourhoods in England experienced worse mental health outcomes up to 11 years later.
Register your place
LGA Coastal SIG
“Unlocking Coastal Potential: Rethinking The Crown Estate’s relationship with Local Authorities”
10 February, 12:00–12:45
Learn about The Crown Estate’s coastal initiatives and the innovative Blue Book project shaping collaboration and sustainability with Local Authorities on the coast.
Eastern Arc Coda network
Social regeneration in Medway: A new approach
17 February, 12:00-13:00
Seaside Summit
One day event focused on coastal enterprise and revival
5 March, 10:00-17:00
An informative and inspiring set of discussions focused on how seaside towns are becoming the UK’s business and lifestyle hotspots.
Register with Eventbrite
Recent events
i-PLACE 25
We’re incredibly proud to highlight the role of Dr Tony David Sampson, named as a featured speaker at i-PLACE 25, hosted by the Key Cities Innovation Network. Through his work, Tony brings together academic insight and community-centred innovation, exploring how place, people and digital culture intersect to shape stronger, more connected communities.
His involvement, representing Essex Business School, helps steer national discussions about “place-based innovation districts and ecosystems.” Once again at Essex Business School, we are celebrating thoughtful leadership, real-world impact, and elevating Essex on the national innovation stage.
ARISE Community of Practice
The ARISE project held their second Coastal Resilience Community of Practice event at the University of East Anglia in November. The Community of Practice is a space for anyone to make connections to others who share a commitment to making coastal lives, coastal living and our coastal environment in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Kent sustainable, resilient and prosperous. There were some great sessions, including social bingo, getting to know the ARISE team, CoP objective setting, and lots of ideas for future activities. Many thanks to Johanna Forster, Irene Lorenzoni, and Scott Leatham for being fantastic hosts and facilitators.
Join the Community of Practice.
The next Community of Practice event will be on 14 May.
New coastal publications
We are here to answer any questions you have about the Centre for Coastal Communities. Please email coastal@essex.ac.uk if you have any query, or if you wish to subscribe to our mailing list.
.jpg?mh=1000&mw=1000&hash=66003591BC8798F6527F736F8B405B04)
