In 2014 I began a mission to re-introduce children and adults alike to the great outdoors by encouraging people of all ages to explore our canals, rivers and lakes on sit on top kayaks. This is proven to help mental and physical health which is much needed in today's society. The craft are unlike the traditional kayaks that many of us are used to that you sit inside of and roll upside down in. These craft are super stable and buoyant with large load capacity and easy to use without previous training. Initially I purchased some high quality kayaks made from "plastic" that certainly did the job. To my mind however there were a couple of big issues with these craft:

Firstly they were made in China which subsequently means that for what should be a carbon neutral activity, there is a huge carbon footprint left especially during the importation stage and many weeks at sea and they are made from PLASTIC!

Secondly, a decent sized kayak weighs in at around 35 kg which alienates a large sector of the community as they are too heavy to lift on / off of a car or to transport to and from the water.

I set out to develop a lighter, carbon neutral, made solely in the UK, recyclable material to replace the current plastic craft... a rather tall order.

Bringing you right up to date, I have developed a PLASTIC ALTERNATIVE known as Aqualyte, that is made from a combination of ORGANIC material and RECYCLED OCEAN WASTE plastic. The craft will all be made to order in the UK so no large warehouses for storage and they will be delivered straight from the manufacturer to your door, keeping any environmental impact to a bare minimum. These craft are at least 40% lighter, meaning that what previously weighed around 35 kg would now weigh in at around 18 to 19 KG or less. Not only are we able to use ORGANIC material, but we can recycle the plastic that is literally choking our oceans and wildlife and then at the end of the crafts life, it can all be recycled again so it's a win win for mankind and nature itself.

I haven't received any government grants for this but I have had to borrow from the banks and use every bit of my own savings and inheritance to fund the project so far. This is where I now desperately need help. I am completely out of money and loan options and I need to raise £30,000 to press the button and say yes to the production of the tooling and molds to begin manufacture of these fantastic craft. If I can somehow raise the funds now, then by January / February 2019, the first organic & recyclable kayaks will be rolling off the production line. These will not only replace the millions of plastic kayaks poisoning our planet but the new material will have thousands of different applications, replacing plastics and helping the world to breath again.

Please, please help get this project into production and show that we really can find viable alternatives to the plastic that is choking our oceans and waterways and killing our wildlife.

Thank you so so much in advance for anything that you feel that you can contribute, no matter how large or small.

Byron Baker-Brown