On this day in Wembury — 20 April 1990
The Western Evening Herald reported on a meeting of the Wembury Women’s Institute where marine biologist Peter Tolley gave a talk celebrating the rich marine life of Wembury Beach. He reminded members that this stretch of coast was already famous among scientists and students nationwide, a living classroom where the tides reveal an extraordinary range of habitats. Seaweeds, limpets, crabs and anemones all occupy their own narrow zones according to how long they can endure exposure to air and sun.
By 1990 Wembury was well known to school groups and universities for its rockpool studies, long before the Marine Centre officially opened. Mr Tolley’s talk described how generations of students had learned to read the rhythms of the shore there, seeing at first hand how life adapts to the pull of the tide.
The evening ended on lighter notes with a shell competition, judged by Mr Tolley, which was won by Mrs Barbara Triplett for the best-coloured shell. Mrs E. Little took the Bloom of the Month award. The report captured something very Wembury in spirit — a mix of scientific curiosity, community sociability and the quiet pride of living beside one of the most studied and admired beaches in Britain.
(Western Evening Herald, 20 April 1990)