June
07
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Deliver a ‘Message in a Bottle’ to Parliament – Challenge to raise awareness of plastic pollution
St Katharine Docks to host closing ceremony of Thames paddleboard challenge
Carlos De Sousa and Carolyn Newton from The Whale Company will undertake a 17-day ‘Source to Sea’ challenge to paddleboard the entire length of the River Thames from the navigable source at Lechlade to the sea at Gravesend.
They will paddle over 300km on their SUPs (Stand Up Paddle Boards) made out of recycled plastic bottles to raise awareness of plastic pollution in our waterways.
Along the way, they will collect thoughts and messages from school children in their ‘Message in a Bottle’ campaign which aims to raise awareness of the issue in Parliament and will see the couple deliver the messages directly to Government.
In 2017, the Whale Company undertook 12 paddle board marathons in12 European countries, documenting the plastic pollution that they saw and catching the eye of European media.
Participants are invited to join one or more legs of the Source to Sea challenge in a show of solidarity behind the cause.
Carolyn Newton, Founder of The Whale Company, said: “At The Whale Company we aim to inspire people to rebuild connections with nature and cherish the world around us.
“Clearly plastic pollution in our waterways has become such a threat that we are in danger of irreversibly damaging the purity of our rivers and seas and in the process harming every species that reside in the water.
“We are undertaking this challenge to demonstrate that paddle boarding and water sports are a brilliant way for everyone to get out on the water and reconnect with nature, whilst galvanising the support of the entire community to influence decision-makers and push this issue even further up the agenda”
To celebrate the completion of this rare feat and provide a further opportunity to spread the message, a closing ceremony will be held on from 5-7pm on Friday 29 June at St Katharine Docks.
