MCS fundraisers to kayak and clean their way around UK

Four hardy souls will be raising money for MCS through an event called Around Britain 4 Britain (AB4B).

Nick Arding (OBE), best known for climbing Everest and rescuing two climbers in the process, and his colleague, Lee Pooley, will be kayaking their way around Britain between May and September. The pair will be supported by Philippa Arding and Jo Nosworthy who will be organising beach cleans in areas that haven’t been cleaned by MCS volunteers before.

Phillippa says the idea came when the four were on holiday, sea kayaking around the Isle of Wight, in May 2010: "We were chatting about other islands to paddle around, and the boys hit on the UK! The idea grew, and now its for real! We all work in jobs related to the outdoor industry, and I organise an annual beach clean in Dorset, where 20 teenagers spend two hours picking up litter and are always amazed at the difference they can make. On our trip around the Isle of Wight, we picked up a teddy floating in the sea, and saw a lot of rubbish on various beaches. The teddy was named Ready Teddy, and has become the AB4B mascot."

The team say that as AB4B became a reality, they decided they wanted to do something other than the physical challenge, and thought of the beach clean project. It seemed to link well with the expedition, their work in the outdoors with young people, and give the girls something useful to do as they support the paddlers.

"I had heard of MCS, and so we contacted the office, had a meeting with Community Fundraiser Tori Williams and began planning. We have chosen 16 beaches around the UK, that are not already cleaned, and will survey the rubbish collected. We are getting school groups, clubs, local businesses and the general public involved," said Philippa.

Tori Williams, MCS Community Fundraiser, says it's great see a two pronged challenge being taken on to raise funds for the charity: "Not only is the kayak trip really hard work, the beach cleans will also be great for the environment and provide MCS with information about beach litter form as yet uncleaned beaches. The event just goes to show how innovative our fundraisers can be."

You can sponsor the team here.

 

The AB4B team - Nick Harding, Lee Pooley, Jo Nosworthy and Philippa Arding.