Established in 1995, COAST has worked hard to reverse the decline in the marine habitats around the Isle of Arran.  Following on from its successful campaigns for the creation of the Lamlash Bay no take zone & the establishment of the South Arran MPA (Scotland’s only community-led MPA), COAST want to create meaningful ways for young people to be more actively involved, creating opportunities for island youngsters but also for disadvantaged youngsters from the mainland.  By developing a fully-researched Youth Action Plan, COAST hope to inspire & engage the next generation in the continued fight to protect & restore the beleaguered in-shore marine habitat.  Potential projects include protection from dredging; tackling sea lice infestations & effluent issues from fish farms; dealing with consumer & fishing industry plastic waste; mitigating land-based run off & its associated nutrient imbalance; & researching the impact of warmer waters due to climate change.  This grant will help fund the development work stage of the Youth Action Plan as a pre-cursor to preparing & submitting a bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the programme itself