A public signing of a giant scroll to back the protection of the Sargasso Sea has proved a hit with the public.

Children and adults lined up to sign the replica parchment, place painted handprints on it and sign a book to show their support yesterday outside City Hall in Hamilton.

The idea came from Noelle Young, founder and co-ordinator of the Sargasso Seas Advisory Council, set up in April to give Bermuda a voice in protecting the sea.

She said of her event showcasing the Bermudian high seas legacy declaration: “It has been fantastic. The start has gone really well and I am very pleased with the response so far.

“People are welcome to come along and sign it, or put a handprint down, or whatever they like. Then, we will carry it to the Government Administration Building on Friday, where it will be presented to the Government.”

Ms Young was one of those who signed the history-making Hamilton II Declaration this week at Government House.

It is a joint initiative by the governments of the UK and Bermuda to build global support for protecting the Sargasso Sea under the new United Nations Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement.

She said: “It was fantastic and it was wonderful to see the progress with all the different individuals and organisations there and various states that had joined that momentous occasion.

“I am hoping the new minister, Uma Kumaran, [UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Overseas Territories] will be able to make progress on a minister dedicated for the care of oceans.

“She seems very ocean-centric and that would be fantastic if she was.”

Now the public have an opportunity to play their part, thanks to Ms Young’s community-led declaration, produced in the UK and shipped to the island.

Ms Young added: “I am also a freelance consultant for Greenpeace in Bermuda, and a variety of people have provided sponsorship for this, including Greenpeace. They have been very supportive of it.

“We now have handholds on it for when we walk it to the minister’s office on Friday. It is a piece of history, most definitely, and we want people to join us in the walk from City Hall to Parliament Street where we will hand it in to the minister of the environment.

“We set off at 3pm and people can bring bells, whistles, whatever they like. Hopefully this declaration will then make the journey to the United Nations in January in New York for the first Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction conference.”