I'm raising money for Plastic Patrol to help clean up the planet. Why? A single use bag is used for 12 seconds on average. It is estimated between 15 - 35 million single-use plastic bottles are used every day in the UK. More than 8 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year and by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

I really want to do more to proactively make a change by highlighting the plastic pollution in our UK Rivers and Oceans and encourage others to appreciate their plastic consumption and reduce it. My Paddle Pick Up Challenge is two fold. 1. To collect litter in the UK waterways by documenting my paddle boarding and litter picking and 2. To take on a challenge that will encourage donations to Plastic Patrol to make sure litter stays out of nature. I am therefore paddle boarding the length of a marathon over one weekend on 18/19 July which will also coincide with Plastic Free July. I'll be doing lots of paddles in the run up to collect as much litter as possible. Check out my Instagram @thekindstoreuk for updates.

Sealion Boards have kindly donated an eco paddle board for the duration of my training and challenge which will be returned to them. They create the most eco SUP board in the world and have leant me the Otago 10'6' All-In-One SUP which has a bloom algae foam deck pad, reducing the dependence on non-renewable petroleum foams and natural and renewable Yulex grab handles in place of petroleum neoprene.

Plastic Patrol

Plastic Patrol was founded by Lizzie Outside in 2016. Having paddle boarded the UK channel, the length of the UK waterways and the Hudson river solo, Lizzie wanted to do something to tackle plastic pollution. Plastic Patrol began on a paddle board but has grown to be a global movement of like-minded people working together on land and water to protect the environment. They have an app to log and record the litter you find globally so this data can be used for scientific research and making brands accountable.

"At Plastic Patrol we combine community action with disruptive technology to gather important data for scientific research into pollution by man-made materials. By crowdsourcing the distribution, type, brand and quantity of waste all over the world, through our cutting edge app, we are continuing to build a valuable evidence base to eradicate single use materials and stop it from destroying our planet."

Note: I am fully insured and licensed to paddle on the UK's waterways by signing up to the British Canoeing 'On The Water' membership which includes a waterways licence, insurance, latest paddler news and discount which cost £45 per year.