As you drive up to the Mermaid Bar, you’ll now be greeted by a much larger-than-life seahorse frolicking in a bed of seagrass. Handpainted by ATM, a street artist well known for his wildlife pieces, this stunning mural is part of the Secrets of the Solent campaign by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.

Secrets of the Solent is designed to raise awareness of the incredible and diverse marine life that lives beneath our local waters, with 6 murals commissioned to bring these creatures to life. We’re thrilled to be home to one of two murals on the Isle of Wight and with our commitment to seagrass preservation, the seahorse felt like the perfect fit to welcome our visitors and bring awareness of both seagrass and these incredible creatures. Taking only four days, with luckily only one bout of inclement weather, ATM set about freehanding the design directly to the wall using acrylic paint. The final result is a spectacular bed of intertwining seagrass leaves and the spiny seahorse, which is one of two native species you can find locally.

The distillery’s partnership with the Trust is still going strong, with the team attending recent planting trials on the island, led by Project Seagrass. These trails are investigating the use of Sargassum, a particular seagrass strain, in restoring the local seabed. It’s hoped that the samples will settle and flourish and become part of the process to revive the damaged meadows throughout the Solent.

Seagrass isn’t only home to seahorses, fish and other marine life but also plays a part in preventing coastal erosion and improving water quality. But most impressively it sequesters carbon 35 times faster than the rainforests, making it a star player in combating climate change.

To find out more about the work the Hampshire and Isle of Wight wildlife trust does to protect our natural world head here.