The stark impacts of future sea level rise on Bude’s beaches, if nature is allowed to take its course and no action is taken, are featured in a new display at the Parkhouse Centre foyer which is open to the public over the summer.

The display, opening on Thursday, June 15, has been organised by Bude Climate Partnership, Cornwall Council, the Environment Agency and Bude-Stratton Town Council.

In a UK-first, the Environment Agency has created a set of photo-quality visualisations for both Crooklets and Summerleaze beaches, which show dramatic changes to Bude’s shoreline within just 30 years, if it’s left unmanaged.

The visualisations, based on a ‘do nothing’ approach, were designed to make technical climate-related information easier for the Bude community to understand. They were modelled using up-to-date data from the South West Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme and the UK Climate Projections Project, and support datasets available on Cornwall Council’s website.

Summerleaze and Crooklets beaches currently have a ‘managed realignment’ approach under the Shoreline Management Plan – which might allow for some intervention to control shoreline movement, such as building defences on the landward side.

Later this year, the community will have a unique opportunity to have its say on what that intervention could look like, via Bude’s first Citizens’ Jury, run by Bude Climate Partnership.

Bude Climate Partnership is an alliance of local environment and community organisations, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.

To find out more visit www.budeclimate.org and www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk