PADDLEBOARDER’S PLASTICS PLEA
THE first woman to paddleboard along the 162-mile Canal & River Trust Coast-to-Coast Trail is pledging her support for Canal & River Trust’s Plastics Challenge as she encourages people to discover a ‘feel good’ adventure on their doorstep.
With visits to many urban canals up since last March, the trust has seen a 68% rise in littering, putting precious waterway wildlife habitats at risk and causing an unsightly problem.
The trust is again asking people to take the Plastics Challenge. Yorkshire & North East regional director Sean McGinley explained: “If every person who walked, ran, cycled or paddled on their local canal or river took just one piece of plastic home with them, our waterways could be plastic-free within a year.”
Jo Moseley became the first woman, aged 54, to stand up paddle from Liverpool to Goole along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and the Aire & Calder Navigation in the summer of 2019 to help raise awareness of plastic pollution in our waterways, collecting rubbish trapped in locks and reed beds as she paddled along and raising £1000 for charity in the process.
She said: “I live just outside Skipton in North Yorkshire and am lucky to have the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and the Yorkshire Dales on my doorstep. Canals and rivers are such a source of joy and beauty.
“When I started paddling on the canal and saw the plastic pollution, especially single-use plastic bottles, the obvious next step was to litter pick from my paddleboard.
“I can’t change the world, but I can change the little bit around me – and that’s what I am trying to do for our waterways and help encourage others to do the same.
“I will always cherish the 11 days I spent stand up paddleboarding 162 miles coast to coast. The beauty of the birdlife, history and community of people I met along the canal were a joy and lifted my soul.
“You can experience the magic of adventure without travelling too far, with canals and rivers on our doorstep, which I’m so grateful for.”
Also supporting CRT’s Plastics Challenge campaign are Strictly Come Dancing winner Bill Bailey and other celebrities including Deborah Meaden, Eamonn Holmes, Saira Khan, Helen Glover, Nicola Thorp and The Wombles.
To make a pledge to support the Canal & River Trust’s Plastics Challenge, visit www. canalrivertrust.org.uk/plasticschallenge or follow CRT’s campaign on social media @CanalRiverTrust #PlasticsChallenge