Paddle pickup; Length of Wales

Aim

May 2018, the beginning of a mission to kayak the length of Wales, picking up plastics and urging people to think about their plastic usage.

NEW PROJECT PAGE: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/paddle-pickup-length-of-wales-1

The project began in 2017, where a group of women kayaked the Width of England from Bristol to London, while picking up plastic (3240 pieces!!) and raising awareness of the issues that plastics in our oceans cause, attracting a lot of media attention; including BBC and Sky news! This was not the end of the project though, as 2018 rolls around there is another paddle on the horizon, and a huge amount more media attention to be had.

May 2018 sees the return of the project, but this time an all female team will kayak the length of Wales (240km) along the banks of the River Severn, picking up even more plastic, and performing research along the way, attracting as much attention to the plastics problem as possible.

This video shows the plastic picked up in just a couple of hours last year! - https://www.facebook.com/PaddlePickup/videos/1067017646767316/  

But our mission doesn't stop at the end of our paddle... we will be raising awareness of plastic pollution far beyond the Severn,  including giving talks at schools and events; last year the plastic collected made it to  the Telegraph Travel show and the World Travel Market Responsible Tourism event, being able to physically show people what kinds of wastes we are polluting our oceans with. This year there is a real emphasis on raising awareness of plastic pollution, post paddle. Talks in schools to inspire the next generation to live a life without plastics will go a long way, as well as talks at events, and online promotion documenting our journey. 

Some of the plastic on display at the Telegraph Travel show:

As you likely know (unless you've been buried in the snow for months) the problem of marine plastics is plastered across the media more than ever, and we too are trying to tackle this problem by getting hands on, hoping others will follow our lead. 

As a Marine Biology student my passion for our oceans is huge, and having lived by the beach for the last year and a half, it has only grown. Every time I visit the beach there is new plastic waste, which is disheartening at the least to see. Each time you go to the beach I encourage you to pick up at least one piece of rubbish and dispose of it, recycling it if you can, you may have just saved an animal's life. In the summer I collected more than 50 pieces of plastic in just one 30 minute lunch break walking along the beach! I have personally been reducing my plastic waste as much as possible, as the more I learn about the oceans, the more I realise how vital they are for the survival of our planet. Is choking them with plastic really the way to show them our respect?

Unfortunately my funding is very limited. This makes taking part in expeditions like this difficult to afford, so I need a helping hand from you. The money I raise will not only fund my leg of the expedition (the majority of which is to fund a support vehicle to take away all the plastics we collect), but also fund the project post paddle. This will enable us to talk at more schools and events, which I will personally be involved in, adding a science element to the talks. Having worked with children several times now I know just how important they are to the protection of our world, both now and in the future, they are they future of our planet after all! 

If you do pledge, thank you so much! All of your funding is going to a really worthy place; cleaning up our planet. 

Here are some tips to reducing your plastic waste:

N.B. Any funds added by myself to the project are from outside fundraising

This project successfully funded on 28th April 2018