The Irish Sea separates the English, Irish, Northern Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Manx from each other but it also connects us all. A festival of nature is bringing everyone together in celebration of the Irish Sea. Saturday 27 July marks the first ever Irish Sea Day, where a joyous chain of events will surround the 17,763 square miles of water, to celebrate its wildlife and the communities that live and work around it.

A total of 10 Wildlife Trusts and other conservation groups in six countries will hold separate events, so wherever you go you can join the party.

All the Irish Sea Day events are free, community events, and everyone is welcome to attend, with a huge variety of marine-themed activities taking place.

At all events, visitors will be able to put their hopes and wishes for the protection of the Irish Sea onto decorative paper fish to create a school of “wish fish” to be used to lobby for more protection for wildlife. Can’t make it in person? You can put your wish on our virtual map.

Amber Gould, Marine Officer at Cumbria Wildlife Trust said: “Our annual festival of the sea at St Bees – SeaFest - is being held on Irish Sea Day this year. It’s all about celebrating and connecting to the Irish Sea and the wonderful wildlife it contains. The day will be packed full of activities that give people a chance to experience and connect with the Irish Sea - from virtual reality experiences to kayaking tasters, scavenger hunts, beach yoga and rockpooling, there’ll be something for everyone!

“People are often surprised to learn how much varied and diverse wildlife you can find in the Irish Sea, but there’s everything from dolphins and turtles to the second largest fish in the ocean – that’s just a few examples from a very long list! Despite this, the Irish Sea’s wildlife is under a lot of pressure, and it can be worrying to think about how much of a challenge it will be to ensure it is protected in the coming years.

“It’s more important than ever to come together as communities across the boundaries around the Irish Sea to form a unified voice that shouts about how wonderful and important this sea is – for its wildlife, but for the benefits it brings us people too. Hopefully everyone will come away from Irish Sea Day knowing a bit more about the Irish Sea, having found a way to connect with it, and feeling like they can make a difference to looking after it.”

Irish Sea Day events on Saturday 27 July include:

• Cumbria – SeaFest at St Bees, where there will be the annual beached art sand sculpture competition, a sand mandala, theatre performances, rockpooling, arts and crafts and more.

• Lancashire - Half Moon Bay, Heysham, a fancy dress parade and a chance to discuss responsible dog ownership with dog walkers, while others seek wildlife in rock pools.

• Cheshire - three events along the Dee Estuary, including a wildlife talk, a talk about the history and heritage of the Dee Estuary and a beach clean.

• Isle of Man - virtual reality undersea experiences, as well as seal pebble art and life-sized basking shark modelling!

• Wales - a seagrass themed area at the Holyhead Festival and will take part in the festival parade. There will also be a Marine BioBlitz in Cardigan Bay.

• A joint event run by Shifting Tides, SeasearchNI, Ulster Wildlife, Irish Wildlife Trust, RSPB and the Sustainable Water Network (SWAN) will take place at beautiful Carlingford Lough, linking Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, raising awareness of the issues facing the famous stretch of water.

• A Scottish festival will take place on August 5 to coincide with the Port William Gala week. Activities will include snorkelling if conditions are suitable.

Irish Sea Day will also give visitors an insight into how they can make a difference, by taking litter home with them or stopping their dogs chasing birds away from coastal feeding and breeding areas. But most importantly, the festival all around the Irish Sea is about having fun and celebrating the incredible marine wildlife on our doorstep.

Wildlife Trusts from Cheshire, Cumbria, Ireland, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Northern Ireland, North Wales, Scotland, South and West Wales, and Wales will be creating events along with the Sustainable Water Network, the Irish Wildlife Trust and the Northern Ireland Marine Task Force. These organisations make up the Irish Sea Network, which for the last five years has been raising awareness of the Irish Sea’s wildlife and the need for stronger protection as the impacts of rapidly-expanding human activities continue.