Peak, plastic and the right to paddle - the paddler's podcast

Olympic canoe slalom gold medal winner Etienne Stott hosts the
first episode in a new series of inspiring stories from paddlers
all over the UK

In this series presented by British Canoeing he'll be meeting
paddlers and chatting with them to find out what inspires them
into the sport and the environmental challenges they face.

Etienne travels to Cromford in the Derwent Valley in the Peak
District to meet the founder and boss of Peak UK, kayaking
equipment.  Pete Astles started paddling as a youngster in
the Lake District and moved to Nottingham to train as a
teenager.  He moved on to making garments, taught himself to
sew and has never looked back.

His kit is used around the world.  And Pete tells us about
the secret testing that helped GB win an Olympic slalom gold
medal at the Rio Games in 2016.

Alongside his business, Pete is working on Paddle Peak - a great
example of how a community of paddlers is trying to get more
access to the waterways of the Peak District.  At the moment
there are relatively few places where paddlesports are welcome in
an area famous for its outdoor sports.  Paddle Peak is
trying to change that.

He wants to inspire kids to have the chance to take up the sport,
regardless of income.  And he wants to make sure the
beautiful countryside is open to all.

Pete and Etienne go to the Derwent Valley to talk about the
project, go out and the water and talk about the things they've
pulled out in river clean-ups - from laptops to road cones. 
A vacuum cleaner and a kid's slide.   

Pete reckons there's a ton of rubbish in a short stretch of river
and how paddlers can play a key role in clearing it up.  But
he has a problem.  There are barriers to access and Pete
wants to get all river users together to come up with a code of
contact.  

Etienne also meets 15 year old Alex McDermott who's a paddler, a
member of the Youth Parliament and a force for change.  Joe
and his brother have been carrying out river surveys to
investigate microplastic pollution.  He tells Etienne he was
shocked at the results.  

Finally Ben Seal from British Canoeing sums up what he's heard
and hopes the stories have inspired other paddlers to take
action. 

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For more information on:

Clear Access Clear Waters - British Canoeing's Environment
Charter

www.britishcanoeing.org.uk

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Paddle Peak Project

www.paddlepeak.org

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Cromford Mills Visitor Centre

www.cromfordmills.org.uk 

Peak UK

peakuk.com

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Youth Parliament

www.youthparliament.org.uk

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And on twitter you can find Etienne
@etiennestott