Canoe sprint athlete Beth Gill has received a grant as part of UK Sport’s ChangeMakers initiative to drive positive change.
The scheme is in partnership with with Allwyn, Team GB, and ParalympicsGB, and is providing a total of £100,000 for athletes.
Paddle UK’s Beth Gill is one of 16 current and former National Lottery funded athletes, to gain £10,000 to support their activity across a wide range of causes.
She will be using her grant to organise community workshops and training, along with data collection as part of her PhD study into microbial risk in rivers and canals.
Find out more about Beth’s project and how you can help >>
Beth, who claimed C1 women’s short course gold at the 2022 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships, said:
“I’m delighted to receive funding for the ‘To Paddle or Not to Paddle’ project, which tackles a pressing environmental and public health concern in Nottinghamshire’s waterways.
“This support allows us to increase our work with local communities, using citizen science to monitor faecal bacteria levels, antibiotic resistance, and assess risks linked to recreational water use.
“As water sports athletes, we spend much of our time training and competing on local waterways, witnessing both their beauty and the damage they suffer.
“The aim isn’t to put people off – I love my sport – but to use our unique position to gather samples, improve understanding of river bacteria, and help protect these vital environments.
“By working together as a community, we aim to build a collaborative effort that contributes valuable insights and makes our rivers safer and healthier for all.”
Launched in 2024, ChangeMakers is a partnership between Allwyn, UK Sport, Team GB and ParalympicsGB.
It was the first campaign launched as part of Allwyn’s commitment to operate the National Lottery in an environmentally and socially responsible way, with £1m annually through its own Social Value Fund.
The campaign is also supporting GB Hockey player and Commonwealth gold medalist Tess Howard, Paralympic Champion swimmer Tully Kearney.
Beth needs help from paddlers, local residents, outdoor enthusiasts, and community groups to help her collect water samples from waterways in Nottinghamshire.