University graduate to paddle length of UK to highlight oceans’ plight

An environmentalist hopes to be the first person to paddleboard from one end of Britain to the other - and will pick up plastic pollution from the shores as she goes.

University of Edinburgh graduate Cal Major has started travelling up the British coastline from Land’s End to John O’groats cleaning up plastic floating in the sea and washed up on the beaches.

The 29-year-old vet from Warrington has previously paddle-boarded around the Isle of Skye and Cornwall to take away bottles, packaging, and netting.

But now she has embarked on her most extreme challenge yet - travelling from the most southern to the most northern point of the UK.

The journey, which began on 5 May, is expected to take four months, and she will paddle across oceans and some mainland canals to get to her final destination.

Cal set up Paddle Against Plastic in 2016 to demonstrate just how badly damaged the UK’S seas and stunning coastlines have been hit by plastic pollution. She said: “I wanted to capture people’s imagination and show what is going on in oceans with plastic pollution but also to bring positivity to the issue and show it’s not all doom and gloom.

“I’m travelling the whole length of the country to try to get everyone on board.”

Scotland-headquartered Green Tourism is sponsoring Miss Major’s record-breaking attempt.

Over the bank holiday weekend, she aims to stand-up paddleboard from Gloucestershire, up to Shropshire.