Access and Environment

Volunteers have been broadcasting local seed by hand to restore Paddle UK's Toll Paddock site on the River Wye back to a species rich floodplain meadow. Toll Paddock, Hoarwithy, is located alongside the banks of…

The Clean Water Sports Alliance, which represents thousands of members, elite athletes and recreational water users, has welcomed four new members. The Alliance, which united in April over the issue of water pollution, has become…

The Secretary of State for Defra, Steve Reed OBE MP, has announced plans for a new Water (Special Measures) Bill. The new legislation, which will apply in England and Wales, will give increased power to…

Ben Seal, Head of Access & Environment at Paddle UK, explains how by increasing access to our rivers it could also make them cleaner. At a time when concern about the cleanliness of our rivers…

Paddle UK is supporting River Action's March for Clean Water which will take place in Central London on Saturday 26 October. A ‘coalition of the concerned', including campaigner Feargal Sharkey, are demanding the new government…

Adventurer Ed Pratt has completed a solo mission to travel the length of the River Thames from source to sea. He recorded a daily video about his trek on Youtube and raised about £22,000 in…

Our Olympians and Paralympians understand the issues facing paddlers in our blue spaces. They also know why it’s important to leave a lasting legacy for future generations. Olympic gold medalist Joe Clarke MBE and Olympian…

Paddle UK hosted a team of cyclists, including Chris Boardman, the former Olympic champion and chair of Sport England, as part of Pedal for Paris. The Sport England challenge is aiming to highlight inspirational and…

Ben Seal, Head of Access and Environment at Paddle UK, talks about what might lie ahead for paddlers in the next five years following the General Election. Now the waters have calmed, what is…

It has been another brilliant year for the Big Paddle Clean-up with a record number of people taking part – thank you! The Big Paddle Clean-up, which ran from 25 May to 9 June, engaged…

During the summer months we should remember the Paddlers' Code – particularly when it comes protecting wildlife. Salmon, for example, are a species that are struggling due to pollution in areas where they live and…

The Liberal Democrats have one of the boldest visions for the environment and the public’s access to it. They want to explore a ‘right to roam’ for waterways and create a new designation of National…

The Shadow Sports Minister, Stephanie Peacock, said Labour is “committed to expanding access to sport and nature rich habitats”. Ms Peacock, who represents Barnsley East and has held the Shadow Minister for Sport brief since…

The UK's political parties have announced their manifestos ahead of the General Election on 4 July. The plans to tackle the most relevant issues to the paddling community are highlighted below (in alphabetical order). Conservatives…

The spread of floating pennywort is a continuing problem in our rivers and canals. Volunteers have been tackling this invasive species and manage clear access to the local waterways they love. A number of events,…

About 40 members of the White Rose Canoe Club cleared a stretch of the Aire & Calder Navigation, in Leeds, on 1 June, as part of the Big Paddle Clean-up. The volunteers filled 30 sacks…

Unless you've been on a very long paddle, you'll have heard there's going to be a General Election. This means Paddle UK has several weeks to get our collective message across to every party and…

More than 1,400 Big Paddle Clean-up kits have been issued to the paddling community ready for two weeks of action to clear up blue spaces across the UK. In 2023, over 2,600 paddlers took part…