The 'Sustainable' Breakfast

In the sixth week of my internship, I had the privilege of attending Brighton Chamber’s Pop-up Breakfast at Moshimo. We heard from the passionate Dean Spears about his career path that ultimately led to being the Head of Blue Natural Capital for Sussex Bay. His inspiring talk outlined the work Sussex Bay is doing to restore our coastline, and left us thinking about our daily personal relationships with nature, equality and kind leadership.

But first, where is Sussex Bay? It’s likely right underneath your feet! It’s the 100 miles of coastline stretching from Selsey Bill to Camber Sands, including rivers and marine areas. Sadly, a flourishing future is not guaranteed due to years of environmental damage and climate change, requiring bold innovation and response. Sussex Bay is a collaborative project to raise funds and conduct research for sea recovery.  

Career path

Dean was the first person to go to university from his family. A Brummy boy, he talked about the challenges of growing up in inner city Birmingham. He remembered being shocked at A-Levels when he realised his classes were small because most of his classmates couldn’t afford to do higher education – and needed to get jobs upon finishing school. Dean had three part time jobs to be able to afford to stay on and go to University.

Dean choose to study Geography, which built his foundational understanding of the relationship between people and the environment. After some work experience in teaching (although ultimately deciding it wasn’t the career for him after said work experience), Dean worked for 10 years in local government, working on school travel planning, sustainability, walking and cycling routes, designing and building public realm. If you’ve ever walked down New Road in central Brighton, you have Dean to thank.

He’s lived on and off in Brighton since 2005, but after moving back to Brighton, deciding it was time for a change, he had what he called a ‘values crisis’ - the pandemic had left him feeling disconnected from work despite being a senior corporate director.

During this time, Dean realised how much the ocean needed support. He was shocked to discover that there are no national policy nor government organisations taking care of the sea nor funding pot. The clear gap in funding showcased the urgent need for coastline restoration, species reintroduction and education. So came the idea for Sussex Bay, which officially launched six months ago after five years of preceding radical collaboration with hundreds of organisations and communities. 

Finding unique ways to fund and structure Sussex Bay

Sussex Bay uses what Dean calls radical collaboration across 11 councils, businesses and organisations. Their goal is to raise £50 million fund for nature recovery by 2025 to support their mission. So far, they’ve almost raised their first million in a matter of months, which is quite a massive feat.

Funding and developing such a large seascape project isn’t easy. It’s a lengthy process with lots of barriers to overcome together. The Sussex Bay Crowdfunder is live.

Our connection to the ocean and why should we care

Dean’s husband is Spanish, and on his first ever dip in the sea in the Mediterranean eight years ago, he reflected on the overwhelming feeling of serene stillness and quiet you experience in the water and how insignificant we are. Dean pointed out that our connection to the water extends beyond simply ‘being in it’. Every time we take a sip of water or simply take a breath, it all goes back to the ocean. Not to forget that it also provides carbon storage, which is essential to the life of humans, animals and plants.

Ultimately, Sussex Bay is a project of hope. When asked whether hope is enough, Dean says it's a great start. The reality is that in some parts of the world, the ocean is dying. He used the examples in Spain.  

So, what is Sussex Bay actively doing?

Sussex Bay runs with three themes in mind: research, blue natural capital, and community. They’ve already set up the first ever Blue Natural Innovation Lab, a space for generating ideas, collaboration and testing; and been part of creating the first ever sea scape strategy for this area.

But living so close to the sea, it becomes easy to take it for granted. In fact, Dean says that 20-30% of people in some parts of Sussex Bay don’t go to the beach despite it being less than a ten minute walk away. Schools are also struggling to afford swimming lessons which means young people aren’t learning how to swim or going to the beach. Sussex Bay aims to change that with partners. 

What can I do?

Dean encourages us to take part in citizen science – if you’re out for a walk by the ocean and spot some dolphins, kelp, or wildlife, snap a photo! There are plenty of local charities and organisations that need your help monitoring what's going on underwater and around us, which feeds into national research.

Ultimately, Dean encourages us to think beyond the blue we see, and really fathom our important connection to the ocean.  

Final thoughts

Dean reminded us that we each have a personal connection to nature. We are connected together and owe a sense of responsibility to protecting, rehabilitating and funding the restoration of Sussex Bay for current and future generations to enjoy.

‘Whoever you are, whatever your background or care, you, we are Sussex Bay, and you are all welcome”.

A big thank you goes to Dean Spears for telling the story of his inspiring and pathway to spearheading ocean rehabilitation in our beautiful Sussex Bay.

Looking for a way to support? The Sussex Bay Crowdfunder is live.

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk