The grass roots efforts of people who advocate for marine conservation through adventuring are helping to raise awareness to create change all over the world.
By Kevin Majoros
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) will kick off the first of two Sea Kayak Challenges this month in Salcombe, Devon in south west England.
MCS drives political, cultural and social change for healthy seas and coasts that support abundant marine wildlife and sustainable livelihoods.
The Sea Kayak Challenge is in its fifth year and the kayakers are usually beginners. They are treated to five days of sea kayaking along the coast with nightly camping.
The challenge is a fundraiser for MCS and each night the kayakers participate in a beach cleanup. It will overlap another MCS campaign, the Great British Beach Clean 2018.
Leading the Sea Kayak Challenge since its inception are Nick and Phillipa Arding.
A Life of Adventuring
Phillipa Arding had a long career as a point-to-point steeplechase jockey. In 1988, she cycled from Alaska to Rio de Janeiro for 11 months, working on World Wildlife Fund projects along the way. After meeting and marrying Nick, she took up climbing and became an International Mountain Leader.
Lieutenant Colonel Nick Arding served with the Royal Marines for over 20 years which included a stint instructing skiing and mountaineering in the Army Mountain Training Centre in Germany. He has summited both Mount Everest and Denali.
After his service with the Royal Marines he has worked as a mountain instructor, sea kayaking instructor and motivational speaker specializing in helping teams and team leaders realize and achieve their maximum potential.
An Accident Creates a New Path
In 2007, Phillipa was involved in an accident at her deer farm in Dartmoor. She was trapped under a silage bale for five hours and spent six weeks in the hospital. With no climbing in the near future, Nick and Phillipa purchased two sea kayaks.
Nick became obsessed with sea kayaking and even though Phillipa was climbing again within a year, he continued his kayaking journey.
In 2013, Nick and his colleague Lee Pooley decided to paddle around the United Kingdom. Phillipa contacted MCS and arranged a two pronged challenge. In conjunction with Nick and Lee’s paddling there would be organized cleanups on 16 beaches that hadn’t been cleaned by MCS before. The campaign was called Around Britain 4 Britain.
Nick’s partner Lee dropped out after four weeks and Phillipa joined him to paddle for the remaining 800 miles.
“It was the best six weeks of my life – filled with kayaking, camping and nature,” says Phillipa. “The lasting impression was the rubbish everywhere ranging from microplastics to polystyrene to fishing floats to plastic bottles.”
Another Accident Changes the Course of the Journey
In 2015, Phillipa suffered a serious brain injury when another skier hit her on the slopes in Norway. She was in an induced coma for four weeks in Oslo followed by five weeks in the hospital and four weeks in rehab.
She discharged herself to take on the 2015 Sea Kayak Challenge and wore a pink helmet to raise awareness for people with brain injuries.
Her work as a life coach, leadership coach and climbing instructor has been put on hold as Phillipa continues her recovery.
“I know what I want to say but speech and words can be elusive,” Phillipa says. “I am happily still paddling and biking, and it’s brilliant.”
Before her brain injury, Phillipa was a coach with the Royal British Legion’s Battle Back Centre. They help in the recovery of wounded and injured service men and women.
“We are working together on the project now which is helping Phillipa with her recovery,” says Nick. “It was sea kayaking though that gave Phillipa back her independence and sense of competence.”
The Adventures Continue for the Ardings
As Phillipa eases her way back into climbing, the Ardings are still sharing adventures in sea kayaking and biking. Coming up is a documentary on Phillipa’s journey filmed by Greg Dennis.
Also, with her speech limited, Phillipa has put together a Facebook page to promote people’s awareness for the environment and people’s wellbeing.
The Sea Kayak Challenge this month will put both Nick and Phillipa back in the sea where Nick says he likes the challenge of an open crossing in the water. Phillipa is more interested in paddling and thinking.
“It is amazing to be on the sea. I love the views, birds and marine wildlife,” says Phillipa. “This is a wonderful environment to be involved in marine conservation.”
Visit Phillipa at Pa’s Inspiration: Wellbeing and the Environment
Check out some more photos here:
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This piece was edited and posted onto SEVENSEAS Media by Giacomo Abrusci.