Paddleboard Selby, a local paddleboarding community group that runs introduction sessions, skills sessions, evening social paddles and other paddle events, held The Big Paddle Cleanup on Sunday, May 24.
The clean-up formed part of Paddle UK’s national Big Paddle Cleanup campaign, an annual environmental initiative encouraging paddlers across the country to help remove litter and pollution from waterways. The campaign has seen thousands of volunteers nationwide help clear canals, rivers, lakes and coastlines while raising awareness of the need to protect the UK’s waterways. Paddleboarding has become one of the UK’s fastest-growing watersports in recent years, offering people an accessible way to improve fitness, support mental wellbeing and enjoy local waterways and outdoor spaces. Paddleboard Selby was created to help more people safely access and enjoy these blue and green spaces while building confidence on the water.
Alongside social paddles and training sessions, Paddleboard Selby places a strong focus on safety, responsible paddling and best practices. Sessions help paddlers understand water safety, weather conditions, equipment use, canal and river etiquette, environmental awareness and how to enjoy waterways responsibly while protecting local wildlife and habitats. The event was open to anyone competent in using a canoe, kayak or paddleboard, as well as volunteers who wished to support from the canal bank and towpath. Participation was completely free, helping encourage as many people as possible to get involved in improving the local environment. Five paddleboarders took part in this year’s cleanup, starting from the Selby Canal Basin end.
Each participant was equipped with gloves, litter pickers and rubbish bags provided through the Big Paddle Cleanup initiative. Most of the volunteers had only started paddleboarding within the last few weeks, highlighting how accessible the sport can be and how quickly new paddlers can become involved in positive community activities and environmental projects. The team covered approximately a 1.5 to 2km stretch of the canal, removing a significant amount of general litter, along with several larger, long-standing items that had clearly been in the waterway for some time. Recovered items included a mattress topper, a wheelbarrow, a remote-control car and traffic cones as well as general household and plastic waste. All waste collected during the event was responsibly disposed of at the Selby Household Recycling Centre afterwards. This is believed to be the first organised paddle-led canal cleanup of its kind on the Selby Canal.
Paddleboard Selby hopes the event will continue each year and grow over time, encouraging more paddlers, volunteers and residents to get involved in protecting and improving the area’s waterways. The cleanup highlighted both the ongoing issue of litter in local waterways and the positive impact community groups can have when working together to protect and improve the environment. More information about the national campaign is available online at www.paddleuk.org.uk/big-paddle-cleanup
More information about Paddleboard Selby is available online at www.facebook.com/61574856017671
