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 every candidate.
There are also things you can do to help to like engaging with your MP or your Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC).
Tell them about your Big Paddle Cleanup event or how you feel about the state of our waterways.
Ben Seal, Head of Access and Environment, and the Places to Paddle team, have been working hard to deliver those messages.
Following the election announcement Ben attended a dinner hosted by the Labour Society for Sport, at the Oval Cricket Ground.
It was an opportunity for the sport sector to land its messages with the party on the value of sport.
Stephanie Peacock and Catherine McKinnell, Shadow Sports and Schools, attended, along with other Labour MPs and figures.
They spoke about the value of sport to society and to young people and promised sport would have a good friend in Labour.
Ben shared a table with members of the Clean Water Sports Alliance, taking the opportunity to discuss how water quality issues were affecting sports participation.
The need for greater access to blue spaces for people to play was also conveyed.
He said:
“These next few weeks are going to be crucial to make sure our priorities have been heard by political parties and to ensure they translate into real commitments in manifestos.
“Given the issues our waters are facing right now, it was really important that the Clean Water Sports Alliance remain united and consistent in our messages on protecting our rivers.”
![Teignbridge Canoe Club have held their cleanup on the River Teign](https://paddleuk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Teignbridge-Canoe-Club-280424-1-1.jpeg)
Ben Seal's May Diary
Not everything we do within the Places to Paddle Team reaches the Paddle UK news pages.
Much of the day to day involves meeting, representing, influencing and most importantly making sure paddlers concerns are being heard by the right people.
Here are the selected diary highlights from my diary in May.
1st May: Reconomics 3
First meeting for a project with the Sport & Recreation Alliance, assessing the value of outdoor recreation. Building on Reconomics 1 and Plus, Reconomics 3 will come at an important time, where demonstrating the economic and social value of sport is crucial. We agreed the scope ready for a research tender to go out.
2nd May: Broads Authority quarterly
Met to discuss various updates on the B-roads navigation, safety campaigning and updating our paddle trail information for the area. Note to self, must find time to go paddling in the Broads soon!
3rd May: School visit
Presented to year 4 at local school on water pollution. Some fantastic questions from the children: ‘what can I do to reduce the plastic I use?', ‘when can I swim in our river'? The children took the rest of the morning to write letters to the Secretary of State.
7th May: Clean Water Sports Alliance Launch
Fair to say that we didn't expect the uptake we got on the launch of the Clean Water Sports Alliance! Having worked independently on water quality for some time (via End Sewage Pollution Coalition and River Action), the coming together of seven National Governing Bodies on this one, singular issue was a big moment.
We managed to get a lot of media attention and I was interviewed by BBC Chief Sport Editor Dan Roan. The story featured on BBC News throughout the day. Interviews shared by all the water-sports over 48 hours on 5Live, Channel 5, LBC Radio, The Guardian, to name a few.
8th May: Launch of Sewage Live Discharge maps
Six water companies publish their sewage maps online. While we were aware this was coming, there was no pre-announcement from the sector.
These maps are a step forward, they will help us make better decisions on when, where and how we go paddling. However, why don't they all look the same or present the same data?
9th May: Thames Water meeting RE TDRA Scheme
Met with colleagues from Thames Water to share concerns over a major proposed abstraction and treatment scheme on the River Thames near Teddington. Presented our concerns and those of the local users (SOLAR – Save our Lands and Water). Agreed to meet again prior to future pilot scheme testing impact.
10th May: Access Advisory Panel
Access to inland waters still presents the biggest barrier to our sport and a central issue that our members want to see addressed.
Our Access Advisory Group has helped navigate some challenging policy discussions over the last five years, as well as shape both our Clear Access, Clear Waters Charters (2018 and 2023).
We met this month to discuss defining ‘responsible access' – a term now repeatedly being used by Labour in reference to possible future legislation. What is ‘responsible access' on water?
13th May: DCMS -Sports Sustainability
Department of Culture, Media and Sport – Sports Sustainability. Met with DCMS to brief on environmental campaigning and water quality.
17th May: Met Severn Trent CEO
Late afternoon meeting with Liv Garfield (CEO of Severn Trent) to hear about an an announcement to invest £1bn in 1,100 projects this year. Discussed the live discharge maps and the needs of recreational users on all waters, not just at bathing locations.
20th May: Chaired Water Recreation Division, special guests Water UK
Special meeting of the Water Recreation Division meeting today. Water UK came to present to the Division to talk through the water sector plans to invest £100bn to tackle sewage pollution.
They answered questions and took honest feedback from the Division, which is comprised of a wide range of water-sports – From Scuba to Swimming, Rowing to Angling. We agreed to meet more regularly to discuss the needs of recreational users.
21st May: Attended Rivers Summit
Attended Rivers Summit at Morden Hall on the River Wandle. Attended various discussions.
Find out more about the Clear Access, Clear Waters campaign >>