I am very fortunate to be involved with a fantastic soundscape project with the Cheshire Wildlife Trust in collaboration with the University of Manchester, working with volunteers to capture the sounds of the Dee Estuary. The aim of the project is to work with local communities, estuary users, and visitors to help ensure that the local heritage is better recored and managed, alongside providing the volunteers with training in new skills to help them record, understand and promote their local areas.

This will led to the development of a series sound and visual works from the participants aiming to connect the coastal communities of the Dee Estuary (Wirral, Cheshire West and Chester, Flintshire and Denbighshire)

Group recording session at Connarh’s Quay

The project is visiting a number of key sites around the Dee estuary, including the Bidston Observatory Artistic Research Centre on the Wirral, Gronant Dunes and Talacre Warren,. Flint Shoreline (Greenfield, Bagillt, Flint), Deeside Wetlands (Connah’s Quay and Shotton), Neston Marshes, Thurstaston Shore and then Hoylake and West Kirby Beaches.

The project will last 6 months, and I am really looking forward to hearing (and seeing) what the volunteers produce. So far from the workshops we have run, there has been a lot of great material captured, and it has been great to explore hydrophones and ambisonic recording as well.

Here are a few sounds that I have recorded (I have been over seeing the recordings of the volunteers so not had too much time to make any recordings yet), and I hope to be going back to make my own recordings at some point in the near future.