My Paddle Against Plastic campaign began as a vehicle to talk to people about the huge environmental crisis we are facing right now. But rather than doom and gloom, I wanted to give a positive message and show people what we can actually do to positively affect the situation.

I began with an expedition around Cornwall in 2016, then, in 2017, I took on 12 day paddle around the Isle of Sky in Scotland in. It lasted 12 days, and I was totally alone. I think I walked past just one single person the entire time. A year later, I decided to take on a second challenge, paddling the length of the country, from Land’s End to John O’Groats. That evolved into being about something much more than just plastic. 

A few weeks into planning the trip, I lost one of my best friends to suicide. This adventure suddenly became about demonstrating the importance of connecting to nature and driving a desire to want to protect our natural world, but also for protecting our own mental health and wellbeing and how those two are interrelated.