Spotlight on the ARISE project: Meet Alex Sadler

Southwold beach from the sea

Dr Alex Sadler is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Essex, working on the Advancing Resilience and Innovation for a Sustainable Environment (ARISE) project. What does your research focus on? While I am helping out with a variety of initiatives across the project, my main focus is on implementing a policy network analysis. Specifically, … Read more

Coast-R at the RGS 2026: Communities, Resilience and the Changing Coast 

Presenters and workshop leads gathered together at the RGS conference

With the Coast-R network reaching its halfway point, we took the opportunity to bring researchers across the ReCCS programme and our Small Grant Fund projects together at this year’s RGS-IBG conference in London. Dr Kate Smith reports on our two sessions, where ten of our projects shared work in progress, from beach monitoring to legacy landfill … Read more

Three pillars of sustainability: Reflections on the Coast-R Year 3 Annual Forum

Networking at the Coast-R Year 3 Annual Forum

In this blog, the Coast-R University of Liverpool team, Charlotte Lyddon, Neil Macdonald, Marta Meschini and Andy Plater, reflect on our Year 3 Annual Forum. On June 25th, we hosted the Coast-R Year 3 Annual Forum at the Spine in Liverpool. This year, our central theme focused on “Investment for Rejuvenating Coastal Communities.” We were … Read more

Two kinds of uncertainty: coastal planning in England and Northern Ireland

Dr Malachy Buck, Lecturer in Urban and Environmental Planning at London South Bank University examines the impact of uncertainty on planning in areas of coastal risk in this blog about his Coast-R Network Small Grant funded project. The risks of coastal erosion and flooding are increasing across the UK. For example, in England, the latest … Read more

Borrowed spaces and community pockets: Exploring inclusion on shared user pathways in Wales

Looking towards the coast, beyond a shared cycle and pedestrian walkway

Dr Matthew Howell of the University of Swansea explores the inclusivity of the shared user pathway across Carmarthenshire, Wales through his Coast-R Small Grant Fund project: ‘Engaging with the Coast: Facilitating Community Dialogue around Usage of and Access to Coastal Shared User Pathways’. Using Llanelli Millennium Coastal Pathway as a case study, the following blog … Read more

What Can a Fish Finger Teach Us About Coastal Change?

A close-up of a plate with part of a breaded fish portion which is about to be stabbed with a fork

Community Food Researcher Laura Dunn and Research Fellow Dr Louise Hunt from the University of Plymouth talk about their Coast-R Small Grant Fund project: ‘Fish Fingers and Fresh Ideas’. When people think about innovation, a fish finger probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But in Plymouth, the Plymouth Fish Finger has become … Read more

Learning from Living Shores: Coastal Change, Risk and Community on the North Carolina Coast

Post Office sign from the aptly-named Sea Level in Carteret County, now in the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum on Harker's Island

Learning from Living Shores: Coastal Change, Risk and Community on the North Carolina Coast 20 May 2026 In this blog, Coast-R co-leads Briony McDonagh and Stuart McLelland reflect on a recent trip to the North Carolina coast where they saw a range of Living Shoreline projects in action. In April 2026, we were lucky enough to spend a … Read more

Reflections from Flood and Coast 2026

27 June 2026 Dr Ed Brookes is a knowledge translation fellow in coastal communities at the University of Hull, working to support both the Coast-R Network and Hull’s Risky Cities project. Here he gives his reflections on attending Flood and Coast 2026. Last month I joined colleagues from across the University of Hull’s Energy and … Read more

Reflection on the changing landscape of UK marine environmental governance

Reflection on the changing landscape of UK marine environmental governance 27 June 2026 In this blog, Coast-R co lead Dr David Bailey brings longstanding expertise and personal insight to this reflection on the changing landscape of UK marine environmental governance. He explores the frustrations, uncertainties and unexpected opportunities that have emerged in the wake of … Read more

Research Spotlight: Meet Dr Marta Meschini

Image of Robin Hood's Bay with close up of sand with sea in background and a person walking along the beach

Dr Marta Meschini is a Project Officer on the Coast-R Network, funded by the ReCCS programme. She is based at the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Liverpool. The Coast-R Network is a UK-wide initiative funded within the £14.8 million Resilient Coastal Communities and Seas Programme (ReCCS). It is led by six founding … Read more