A CAMPAIGN group has launched an annual fundraising drive in a desperate attempt to preserve a crumbling cliff face.

The Naze Protection Society has kicked into action with a new target of generating £20,000 every year.

The money will be used to regularly install soft engineered structures such as rock gabions (cages full of rocks) or groynes in order to protect Walton Naze’s corroding coastline.

At a cost of £10,000, the group also hopes to rebuild a sea defence wall called the Tamarisk to keep the sea out of the Walton Channel.

Before any work goes ahead permission will first have be granted by the likes of the Marine Management Organisation, the Environment Agency, Natural England and Tendring Council.

David Eagle, acting chairman of the Naze Protection Society, said: “This work will be in conjunction with Tendring Council projects going forward, building resilience into their projects and the Naze,” he added.

“Our projects for this year are to install up to 50 rock gabion baskets around the north end of the cliffs.

“The one-tonne and 2.5-tonne baskets will trap naturally collected sediment under the cliff, break wave energy hitting the area and support the structure of the sea wall.”

Last year, the Gazette revealed how residents were growingly increasingly concerned with crumbling cliffs at the Naze but efforts have been made to save them.

In 2011, Crag Walk, a lengthy £1.2million walkway sited along the beach in front of the southern end of the Naze cliffs, was built to shore up the wall of rock.

The coastline, however, has been threatened by the impacts of coastal erosion for years, and many fear it will inevitably become engulfed by the sea.

Mr Eagle’s team has now launched a pop-up site to drive donations until they can take on a more permanent base.

He said: “This cliff area is at risk of eroding away within three years, allowing the sea to flood into the public open space.

“We would like to take on a shop in Walton High Street again, as this was so successful as a fundraising centre for Crag Walk.

“Until then we will be having a stall at the Walton Market on Thursdays.”

To find out more, visit nazeprotectionsociety.org.