Paddle and Pick
By Ella Thorogood
Posted on 1st August 2019
Over in the central support office in London, we've been looking at how we can make a difference and give back to the wonderful city we live in. We decided to take a leaf out of our team on the water's book and do a beach clean up! But of course, living in London, it's a little bit difficult to find many beaches...so we went for The Thames instead! So, on Wednesday 24th July 2019 a team of office staff plucked up and picked up over in Kew Bridge - but there was a twist; we would have to do it on a stand-up paddleboards.
After a quick lesson on how to not fall in or crash into oncoming boats, rowers and bridges we set sail! With some people never having been on a paddleboard before, it was a bit of a shaky start - but after a few minutes everyone was up and speeding along the Thames. We then spent the next hour and a half paddling along and picking up, making stops along the way to ensure we got all the rubbish hanging from the trees and along the river bank.
It was a great day, and after a few hours in the boiling heat, we stopped to refuel and reflect on the day we had. It was great to feel we were giving back to our community and helping in our own little way. We hope this can inspire people to think about how they can make change when they are out on The Yacht Week. We sail to some of the most beautiful locations and we want to keep it that way, so we encourage you to think about your actions while you're out on the water and remember that small changes can make a big difference. Our home is at sea, let's look after it.
After a quick lesson on how to not fall in or crash into oncoming boats, rowers and bridges we set sail! With some people never having been on a paddleboard before, it was a bit of a shaky start - but after a few minutes everyone was up and speeding along the Thames. We then spent the next hour and a half paddling along and picking up, making stops along the way to ensure we got all the rubbish hanging from the trees and along the river bank.
It was a great day, and after a few hours in the boiling heat, we stopped to refuel and reflect on the day we had. It was great to feel we were giving back to our community and helping in our own little way. We hope this can inspire people to think about how they can make change when they are out on The Yacht Week. We sail to some of the most beautiful locations and we want to keep it that way, so we encourage you to think about your actions while you're out on the water and remember that small changes can make a big difference. Our home is at sea, let's look after it.