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
