“Coral” the Clown Fish – Ocean Trawler Challenge

We’re thrilled with the recent tidal wave of interest in our ‘Coral’ the clown fish sculpture! 

Since we announced ‘Coral’s 2025 relaunch, we’ve been drowning in 1000’s of applications to host our recycling fish sculpture, and we’ve been racking our brains, trying to come up with a way to meet the tsunami of demand.

Allow us to introduce the brand new “Ocean Trawler Challenge”, where schools compete amongst each other to see who can fill their net with the most crisp and confectionery packets. The schools with the fullest nets can loan ‘Coral’ the clownfish or one of her friends, completely FREE! 

Once you’ve jumped on board, you’ll receive a Trawler Challenge Package, which will include a sample of trawler net, with a link for where we recommend you purchase the required size. You’ll also receive a bundle of advice and guidelines for the challenge, along with high-res pictures of the fish for your media. 

To qualify to be a part of the challenge, each school/organisation must:

• Be active throughout the challenge on social media and in the press to get the public and students and community members involved.
• Have a page dedicated to the Ocean Trawler Challenge on your website and link The British Ironwork Centre. We want to know what eco-efforts your school does to protect our environment! Show us how you reuse, recycle and repurpose. 

Register your interest for our Ocean Trawler Challenge by filling in our booking form, if your application is successful, we’ll get back to you with confirmation over becoming approved as an Ironworks Environmental Partner. 

This effort for the environment has no financial benefit to us, we created this educational campaign to encourage students to get excited about recycling!

Find our booking form HERE.

Previous Information About ‘Coral’:

The Ironworks is loaning out our wonderful, colourful clown fish, dolphins and bottle top giraffes to schools and educational providers to help reduce waste entering our environment, and eventually our oceans. With fish and ocean mammals living in increasingly deteriorating habitats, it is our duty to step in and prioritise the reduction of plastics entering our natural world.

Our collected packets will be donated to organisations who can put them to good use (for instance, turning them into survival blankets for the homeless).

From left to right: Alex, Alice and Sang from the Ironworks with a full fish and hand made survival blankets!

Some Facts

The UK alone currently discards 16 million crisp packets per day; 6 billion per year. Packets dating back to the 1960’s have been washing up on our shores, demonstrating the longevity of plastics in our oceans. The continual damage they can cause our wildlife is unforgivable.

Not only are fully-formed crisp packets damaging, but also the micro-plastics that emanate from them as they break down over time. This is devastating for the welfare of wildlife, and ongoing, the human race too.

Enrichment Officer at North Shropshire College, Guy Wolverson, with one of our fish

Our Aim

It is estimated that around 271,000 people were experiencing homelessness in Great Britain in 2023. This is only set to rise with increasing living and housing costs. Supporting us by loaning and filling “Coral” will aid societal and charitable organisations in their amazing journey to offer help to those who need it most.

Our survival blankets helping those who need them

From left to right: Alice-Rose Langford (from the Ironworks) and Mr. L. Francis (Strategic Lead for Careers Education, The Marches School)

Ironworks team members Abbie and Alex trying out our survival blankets – courtesy of the Shropshire Star

To see where our fish are at the moment, or to do your bit for the environment by borrowing “Coral”, please see click below!