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PADDLEBOARDING FOR GOOD
Jo Moseley
Hello , my name is Jo Moseley , and I am the author of Stand Up Paddleboarding in Great Britain – Beautiful Places to Paddleboard in England , Scotland and Wales and host of The Joy of SUP – The Paddleboarding Sunshine Podcast . I am also a proud ambassador for the 2 Minute Foundation and Seaful Charity .
In this column , I look forward to sharing inspiring stories of environmental projects , mental wellbeing initiatives and how we can make SUP accessible to more people . If you have a story , please email me at thejoyofsuppodcast @ gmail . com and follow me on Instagram @ jomoseley .
Social Prescribing with the Canal and River Trust
Photo : Canal and River Trust
Like me , I ’ m sure you have found SUP to be a lovely way to build friendships . Did you know paddlesports , including SUP , have been socially prescribed to help people experiencing loneliness ?
I contacted Sharron Bright from the Canal and River Trust to learn more . Having paddled along the Leeds Liverpool Canal on my coast to coast in 2019 , I was particularly interested in the joy the canal could bring .
She told me that the ‘ From Isolation to Inclusion ’ project has been hugely successful on the waterways of Leeds .
It is funded by Interreg , a European funding body ; the project aims to increase happiness levels by reducing social isolation and increasing community connection .
Key to its success was using the blue space corridors the Leeds to Liverpool Canal provides through the urban communities along its route .
Local health data was used to identify those who experienced the highest levels of loneliness and isolation in the communities closest to the canal . Cocreation groups were formed from these target groups , where they identified barriers to participation accessibility needs and suggested activities that could be tried out in the blue spaces .
Those taking part came to the project by being socially prescribed into local community groups who signposted them into the Canal and River Trust ’ s provision , including boating , paddlesports , foraging , bushcraft and poetry writing .
The sessions on and near the water greatly impacted those attending . At the beginning of sessions , 62 % of participants said they often or sometimes felt lonely . By the end of the unit , only 35 % of people felt the same .
One participant said , “ The outdoor activities have given me purpose and hope and brought me inner peace . I ’ ve met loads of people in a similar situation to me .
“ It ’ s helped improve my mental health and well-being . I needed this course to help me on the road to recovery .”
How wonderful is this ?
To find out more , watch the video on YouTube or go to www . canalrivertrust . org . uk . Photo : Canal and River Trust www . youtube . com / watch ? v = irJa2nFC6Tk