On This Day in Wembury
26 November 1998 — Conservation Award for Wembury’s VMCA
On this day Plymouth Extra reported that the Wembury Voluntary Marine Conservation Area (VMCA) had helped Devon Wildlife Trust secure a Henry Ford European Conservation Award worth £6,000. The prize recognised Wembury’s pioneering role in marine conservation and was earmarked to expand similar activities into North Devon, using Wembury as the model. The newspaper carried a photograph of Neal Phillips, warden of the Wembury Marine Centre.
The Wembury VMCA was established in 1981 as the first of its kind in the UK, protecting the rich wildlife of Wembury Bay, from shore crabs and anemones to the rare pink sea fan. It was created through local voluntary agreement rather than statutory designation, with Devon Wildlife Trust, local authorities, and the National Trust working together. The Wembury Marine Centre, which opened in 1994, became the public face of the scheme, welcoming thousands of visitors, school groups, and rockpool safaris each year. The 1998 award confirmed Wembury’s importance as a national leader in community-based marine conservation.
This recognition showed that a small Devon village could influence the wider European conservation movement. Wembury’s community-driven protection of its shoreline became a model for how people can safeguard their own natural heritage.
Source: Plymouth Extra, 26 November 1998.
