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“ Whilst I was going through some of my worst times I would take unnecessary risks almost as a form of selfharm ,” said James .
“ The water is a big part of my life and I think how varied the water can be , almost reminds us how varied life can be .
“ You can go out there one day and it can be clean , smooth sailing . Classy , easy . And there are times in life when it ’ s like that .
“ The next day you might go out . The wind might be blowing , it might be choppy , blowing you about , getting wet in the face .
“ If that was taken away for any reason , I would be completely gutted .
“ It ’ s not just exercise , it ’ s nature and spirituality . There ’ s something freeing and special and magical , you get from water , that you don ’ t get from anywhere else .
“ I hope we go the other way where our waters become cleaner , clearer and more accessible for people to enjoy .”
Finally , on the theme of cleaner waters , Olympic hopeful Beth Gill made a film about how pollution and litter is affecting our rivers .
“ But you ’ re still out there . You remember how beautiful it is , so you don ’ t mind .
“ You know it ’ s going to return to that . How easy water can reflect our lives going from choppy to plain sailing . It ’ s just magical .”
Shilpa Rasaiah got into Stand Up Paddleboarding later in life and now she ’ s making up for lost time .
The five films were made as part of the Clear Access , Clear Waters campaign to highlight ‘ Why Blue Space Matters ’. You can watch them all on Youtube @ BritishCanoeingTV
She said age shouldn ’ t be a barrier to adventure and exploring our waterways .
“ The connection to water for everyone is like freedom ,” she said .
“ I would describe it as being in nature , being at one with nature . As humans we were all made for that and we seem to have lost it .
“ So being in or on water is fabulous .”
In 2022 , Shilpa decided to paddle the length ( 165 miles ) of the Grand Union Canal near her home in Leicestershire .
“ Without having access to this canal I couldn ’ t have done this amazing adventure and also the support I got ,” she said .
The C1 world marathon champion , who is studying environmental science at the University of Nottingham , said she sees pollution , plastic and litter , all the time on the water .
“ I think most people look at rivers and think wow they ’ re so beautiful , but we don ’ t understand what ’ s going on inside them or above them ,” said Beth .
“ Currently over three quarters of our rivers are deemed unacceptable for health .
“ Rivers and waterways are fundamental to both livelihoods and nature .
“ We need to really understand the connection between both ourselves as humans and the rivers . If they suffer , we suffer .”
Canoe Focus Late Summer 2023