Climate change prompts £2m lottery funding for Bude

Bude's coastline is vulnerable to rising sea levels

A coastal town in Cornwall has been awarded nearly £2m in funding to help it prepare for climate change.

Bude and 10 surrounding parishes received the grant from the National Lottery's climate action fund.

The county is likely to see some of the UK's highest future sea level increases, Cornwall Council has said.

The funding aims to build resilience - particularly in the tourism sector - against climate change and make Bude a "sustainable tourist destination".

'UK's Maldives'

The Bude Climate Partnership, which is made up of the town council, the tourism board and various environmental groups, said the funding would help the community to develop a plan to tackle the threat of sea level rises.

"In effect, we're the UK's Maldives: idyllic and beautiful but facing an existential and imminent threat to our way of life due to sea-level rise," programme director Robert Uhlig said.

"We've already seen the effects of climate change in Bude's record temperatures for the South West last summer and Storm Eunice's toppling of the iconic tree in the heart of our town, seen on national and international TV news bulletins last winter."

An iconic tree in Bude collapsed during Storm Eunice

Mr Uhlig said Bude's coastline and wildlife was central to the town's prosperity.

He said: "With 70% of local businesses dependent on tourism, it's imperative in a rapidly changing climate that we work together to ensure the sustainability of a sector that employs 40% of our workforce and defines our way of life."

Another project will fund an energy adviser to provide free advice to residents on making their homes more energy efficient.

Nick Gardner, head of climate action at National Lottery's community fund, said: "Communities have a big role to play in tackling climate change locally and ultimately helping to move the UK towards net zero."

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].