The Lakes School Kayaking Club students have been clearing plastic pollution from the shores of Windermere.

Teaming with Paddle UK's Big Paddle Cleanup initiative, the group paddled from Brockhole to Wray Castle, aiming to collect as much litter as possible before it travels downstream heading for the coast.

Cumbrian Kayaking provided kayak canoes for the mission.

The youths scoured the shores for discarded waste, collecting, among other items, plastic water bottles, cans, glass bottles, and even a leaf spring from an old cart.

The Mail:

Regular clean-ups such as these play a crucial role in maintaining the health of waterways.

They prevent rivers from becoming transit routes for rubbish into our oceans cause significant harm.

The Mail:

Plastic material does not biodegrade.

Instead, it diminishes into smaller particles which remain in our environment indefinitely.

At this minuscule size, it's an impossibility to remove these microplastics from our environment.

As a result, fish and smaller creatures often mistake these fragments for food, inviting plastics into our food chain.

On top of affecting marine life, birds and other wildlife often get entangled in plastic trash causing distress and leading to unfortunate fatalities.

Chantelle Grundy, access and environment officer at Paddle UK, said: "The paddle cleanup highlights the amazing work paddlers do on a regular basis to help to deal with this environmental crisis."

"It supports our vision for fair, shared and sustainable open access on water, as well as our commitment to protecting the environment."

Paddle UK, formerly British Canoeing, has shown dedication to environmental safety since the launch of its Access and Environment Charter, Clear Access, Clear Waters, in 2018.

It has focused on advocating for fair, shared, and sustainable open access to inland waterways, continually striving to protect and improve the health of our rivers.

For more details about this initiative, people are encouraged to contact Jamie Magee at The Lakes School.