Joanna Page Champions Four-Million-Oyster Restoration Project Along North Norfolk Coast
Welsh actor and TV favourite Joanna Page is making waves for a good cause as she throws her support behind a major marine conservation project aiming to improve water quality along the North Norfolk coastline. The Gavin & Stacey actress joined petcare brand Purina and marine conservation group Oyster Heaven at their coastal site, where juvenile oysters — known as “spats” — are being nurtured for release into the wild. The initiative will see a minimum of four million native oysters reintroduced to local waters by the end of 2026.
Page’s formative years were steeped in seaside life and she recently learnt to surf. Her deep love of the sea was apparent when she visited the restoration site, to see the “spats” being prepared for deployment into the North Sea within a matter of weeks. As a pet lover, she was inspired by Purina’s approach of using healthy and nutritious fish by-products in pet food, meaning that no part of the fish goes to waste, as well as their efforts to work with organisations that are helping to restore marine habitats and benefit ocean health.
Joanna Page said: “As a mum, a dog owner and someone who loves the sea, I was really moved by the scale and ambition of this project. Seeing the baby oysters being prepared for their new home was incredible.
“It’s easy to forget how much life depends on healthy seas and oceans, and I’m proud to support a campaign that’s not only helping marine biodiversity, but is also showing how businesses can make a real difference.”
Native European oysters, once abundant along the UK coastline, play a vital role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems. Oyster reefs generate biodiversity by providing a home for a multitude of different species and are natural water filterers, removing pollutants including excess nitrogen which helps improve water quality. With the disappearance of the species from UK waters in the past century, this ecosystem function has been lost. The reintroduction of oysters through building reefs is expected to significantly restore water clarity along the Norfolk Coast, while also boosting biodiversity.
In September, Oyster Heaven plans to deploy the first batch of specially designed biodegradable clay bricks known as Mother Reefs, which serve as homes for juvenile oysters and pave the way for large-scale deployment. By the end of 2026, 40,000 Mother Reefs are expected to be installed containing a total of four million young oysters, as the basis for a larger self-sustaining reef over time. Working together with Norfolk Seaweed, a local family-run aquaculture business, they will install new oyster reefs, drawing on their deep knowledge of the area's local marine environment.
More broadly, Purina Europe has an ambitious Ocean Restoration Programme, which launched last year and is part of their commitment to help advance the regeneration of ocean and soil ecosystems in their extended fish supply chains. Purina is taking an active role to help restore marine habitats at scale across Europe. By working with various partners, the overall aim is to restore 1500 hectares - the equivalent of around 3,700 football pitches – of marine habitat by 2030. Alongside the newly announced oyster reef deployment project in the UK, restoration efforts also supported by Purina are already taking place in France, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal.
Kerstin Schmeiduch, Director of Sustainability at Purina Europe, said: “We source fish by-products for our pet food – meaning no part of the fish goes to waste while delivering valuable vitamins and minerals for pets. We are thrilled to be working with Oyster Heaven, marking an important step towards improving marine restoration along the Norfolk coastline and a first for Purina in the UK. As marine biodiversity faces significant challenges, it is essential we come together for collective restoration efforts. We urge other companies and organisations to work together on collaborative solutions for the benefit of ocean health.”
The new Norfolk oyster restoration site marks a significant milestone in Purina’s collaboration with Oyster Heaven. Together with a site already underway in Veerse Meer, Netherlands, the collaboration is set to become the largest oyster restoration initiative in Europe.
More information about Purina’s Ocean Restoration Programme can be found here: Purina Europe's Ocean Restoration Programme
