Nature Guernsey Photography Competition: Winners Announced

PEhmann — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:23:32 +0000

Nature Guernsey Photography Competition: Winners Announced –

Richard Vowles with his wonderful King Fisher photograph and Steve Mahy with the beautiful photo of Dung Cannon Fungus

Our members’ voted for the winner of the Photography Competition, but it was incredibly close! We have two winners, each receiving an equal share of the vote (19.8%), making them joint first place.

Richard Vowles – King Fisher

Steve Mahy – Dung Cannon Fungus

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Pip Gallagher awarded the Science & Nature Grant 2025

PEhmann — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 10:09:58 +0000

My name is Pip Gallagher, and I have been very fortunate to receive La Société’s Science and Nature Grant for 2025, which will support my final year studying Marine Biology at the University of Plymouth.

In September I will begin research for my dissertation focused on the study of a non-native Mediterranean species of kelp, Laminaria ochroleuca, which is common in the Channel since expanding its range northwards.

In light of the recent Oceans documentary narrated by Sir David Attenborough, the extent to which kelp absorbs carbon from our atmosphere is, surprisingly, only starting to be understood – the documentary reports kelp to be a more efficient carbon sequestrator than rainforests or seagrass beds.

My research in September will be focused on the transport of carbon locked in the kelp itself, or biomass, and the rate at which broken fragments of kelp decay. I will be assessing the impacts of fouling by bryozoan animals, as well as factors such as light and heatwave-simulated temperatures. Understanding how this carbon-rich biomass is locked away in the ocean will be key to more reliably quantifying how much kelp forests contribute to Blue Carbon stores. Whilst my research will be based in Plymouth, the findings will be very relevant to Guernsey.

I hope that my findings, to be presented next summer, may spark more interest in Guernsey’s kelp forests, raise awareness of their services to us, and potentially promote research and mapping of them around the Bailiwick. I am very grateful to accept this bursary, and I hope to continue marine research at Master’s level.

Pip Gallagher

University of Plymouth

The post Pip Gallagher awarded the Science & Nature Grant 2025 appeared first on La Societe Guernesiaise.

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Nature Guernsey Photography Competition: Winners Announced

Pip Gallagher awarded the Science & Nature Grant 2025