Moray SUP Club supports the Big Paddle Clean Up

4th June 2023

Moray Stand Up Paddleboard Club members have again been enthusiastic in their support for the British Canoeing Association Big Paddle Clean Up this weekend.

Having scared the sun away with talk of hats and suncream, 10 club members with litter pickers, gloves and sense of determination set off up the Lossie River.  Paddling with the incoming tide, the group had a leisurely trip 2-3km up the river, eyes peeled for rubbish.  Based on the feedback of other groups who had been litter-picking around the same area in recent days, we weren't expecting to recover much.

Paddlers who had been on the original 2020 litter pick had their personal goals for the day - including a wheelie bin stuck in the silt which eluded them last time.  This time, their determination paid off,  and not only did the wheelie bin come free, but provided handy stowage for an abandoned fridge!  Slim pickings slowly turned into a tideline treasure trove of unusual finds, including:

- an (empty) 47kg propane cylinder

- an outsize lamp bulb (intact)

- eight wheels / tyres

- two huge polystyrene blocks

- foam matting

- a rusting oil drum

- plastic chemical drums

and a further 18 sacks of plastic and glass bottles and other unwanted items.  Only lack of time and space (and the call of coffee & cake) prevented the group from collecting the same amount again.  In some areas you could here the plastic crackle underfoot where grass had grown over it.  It just goes to show how important it is for such work to be done on a regular basis. 

The club extended heartfelt thanks to Moray Council for providing the litter pickers for the club to use and arranged for the sacks to get picked up.

As a club, we treasure the Moray environment that we're so lucky to call our home - and we're pleased to have contributed in this small way to a cleaner future!  

The bar has been set for 2024... 😁🚮👏