The Volvo Ocean Race (www.volvooceanrace.com) is mounting a global campaign to raise awareness of the increasing pollution that is swirling in our oceans, threatening sea-life and washing ashore on beaches across the world. Together with artist collective Skeleton Sea (www.skeletonsea.com; www.facebook.com/skeletonsea), the Volvo Ocean Race is voicing a call to arms for everyone to help reduce pollution and share in a simple message through the Keep the Oceans Clean! initiative.

Volvo Ocean Race Chief Executive Knut Frostad said, “Keep the Oceans Clean! creates an opportunity to make a global difference. This is the project we have been searching for; it has meaning to the race, the sailors and supporters, who all have the chance to make a real difference. The rubbish in the ocean is a concern for everyone. For Volvo Ocean Race sailors the rubbish not only pollutes their sporting arena but it can be problematic when they’re racing because it can catch on the keel, rudder and dagger boards and slow down the boat. Together with Skeleton Sea we will raise awareness of this problem, engage adults and children and inspire them to be part of the solution.’’

The Keep the Oceans Clean! team will lead beach cleans at all ten Host Ports visited by the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 – from the remote and rugged coastal beaches of South Africa’s Cape Town to the pebbled shores and cool waters of Galway, Ireland. Skeleton Sea’s founding artists João Parrinha of Portugal, Spain’s Luis de Dios and Xandi Kreuzeder from Germany will alternate as Artist in Residence at each Host Port. The artist will create a sculpture from the beach trash unique to each port with the help of local school children and the general public during interactive workshops. Central to the initiative is Skeleton Sea’s Albatross Exhibitionist – a sculpture and short-film installation that tell the compelling story of the thousands of albatross killed each year because they fatally mistake rubbish for food ( http://vimeo.com/24324755).
Xandi Kreuzeder is hopeful that Skeleton Sea and the Volvo Ocean Race can inspire others to help keep the oceans clean. He said, “It’s more important than ever for people to do their bit to protect the environment, even if it means picking up just a few bits of rubbish at their local beach. If our message gets through to just a few people, then we believe it’s been worth all the effort.”

Keep the Oceans Clean! Project Coordinator Jacqui Smith said, “The initiative aims to increase awareness through the international platform of the Volvo Ocean Race of the central role oceans play in our lives and the importance of protecting them. For all of us, no matter where we live, the ocean is essential to our existence. We need to respect the sea, look after it, and be stewards for this beautiful blue that makes up over seventy per cent of the Earth’s surface. Delivering the simple message of ‘keep the oceans clean!’ through beach cleans and workshops aims to inspire and encourage individuals to respect the oceans and think twice about how their actions can affect the marine environment, which collectively can make a real difference.”

The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) has restructured, revitalised and relaunched its charity – the BMC Access and Conservation Trust (ACT) – which funds projects to protect our cliffs and mountains. The BMC is now raising the profile of the charity in order to help identify new projects to fund and to generally boost support. ACT has helped fund worthwhile projects in the mountains for over ten years yet it is not widely recognised as the BMC’s charity. It is hoped ACT’s new identity (including a new logo and publicity material) plus a new online donation facility will make it easier for people to support its valuable work for years to come.

BMC CEO Dave Turnbull said, “ACT funds some fantastic projects to protect our mountains that we as climbers and walkers all benefit from. Projects range from footpath improvement and erosion control in the UK to litter picks on Everest. There is still a clear need for the financial support offered by ACT so we are committed to raising its profile and increasing the number of initiatives we support each year.”

ACT supports the BMC’s work by funding a wide range of practical projects including:

• Practical crag and footpath restoration
• Mountain recreation and conservation research
• Sustainable transport initiatives
• Campaigns for your countryside rights
• Crag and mountain information and guidance

These projects complement and add to the BMC’s own access & conservation work. New for 2011, ACT is also funding a BMC research grant initiative for postgraduate students working on projects that benefit climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers.

The BMC is encouraging people to support ACT in a variety of ways:

• Give a donation or leave a legacy – www.thebmc.co.uk/ACTdonate.
• Buy a limited edition print – he BMC has commissioned artist and guidebook illustrator Phil Gibson to produce a limited edition print of the BMC-owned cliff Craig Bwlch y Moch, Tremadog. Each of the 100 prints will be individually signed by Tremadog pioneers Joe Brown, Ron Fawcett and Eric Jones. These will soon be available to buy via the BMC online shop- www.thebmc.co.uk/shop – or by calling the BMC on 0161 445 6111.
• Suggest a project for ACT to support.
• Join ACT on Facebook.

There’s also a chance to win one of the unique limited edition prints. For every £5 donated, supporters will be entered into a prize draw (i.e. a £20 donation gets your name in the hat 4 times). The draw will be made at the Kendal Mountain Festival in November 2011.

Further information about ACT is available at www.thebmc.co.uk/act.

Advice from American sea kayaking specialists Northern Lights Expeditions – www.seakayaking.com – gives an unusual slant on life on the ocean wave. Sadly, they appear to have shut down back in 2009 but there’s plenty of useful info on the site.

“Think of sea kayaking as a highly evolved form of backpacking. Unless you enjoy slogging up steep hills with a big load on your back (and many of us do, mind you), sea kayaking is the best way to connect intimately with your natural surroundings. No big backpacks to carry; everything fits comfortably into your kayaks. You can also bring more amenities with you, like propane stoves, cookware, big roomy tents and big comfortable sleeping bags, adding to your comfort level.”

Walking or cycling the Taff Trail – Route 8 of the National Cycle Network from Cardiff Bay to Brecon – is one of the best global experiences of 2011 according to National Geographic. The Taff Trail was handpicked by National Geographic Traveler editors as one of their 10 Best Trips of Summer 2011. It ranks alongside some of the best experiences from across the world, including kayaking in Alaska and snorkelling with dolphins in Honduras.

Lee Waters, Sustrans Cymru Director, said, ‘Here we have real recognition that our walking and cycling routes in Wales can offer something exceptional and rank among some of the best experiences in the World. It highlights the need for a network of high-quality routes that will benefit local people, who use them day-to-day, and attract visitors from all over the globe.’

The Taff Trail is a 55 mile route, which is mostly traffic-free and runs from Cardiff, through the South Wales Valleys and into the dramatic Brecon Beacons. Sustrans is currently working with partners on a major revitalisation for walking and cycling in the Valleys, which includes creating 100 miles of new routes that will bring the National Cycle Network to within two miles of a further 636,000 people.

An enthusiastic group of Cumbrian riders have grouped together to help create a new mountain biking trail in the Forestry Commission’s Grizedale Forest. Work has begun on building a new black-grade biking trail in the forest. The trail is aimed at experienced riders and includes advanced features such as jumps, berms and tabletops. The decision to create a new trail was taken to enhance the biking experience at Grizedale and to fulfil the demands of experienced downhill bikers who want technically demanding single track trails.

Work co-ordinator Lee Rayton said, “There are a lot of people in the area who are experienced riders and they have bought expensive bikes with long-travel suspension which are designed to be ridden hard downhill. However, a lot of these kinds of riders have been leaving the area to ride in Scotland in the Alps as there is nothing purpose-designed to suit their style of riding. So we are building this black route to appeal to this kind of rider. It will all be on a downhill gradient and will have jumps and berms but people will also be able to roll down it if they do not want to do the jumps.”

So far, more than 400 metres of the new trail has been created by hand with around 10 to 15 volunteers working on average two sessions a week. When completed, the trail will be just over a kilometre long and will have permanent waymarkers showing which way people can ride. The Forestry Commission, which owns the land and manages Grizedale Forest, is working in partnership with the volunteers to help the trail to be built and is providing tools and materials.

Katie Jarvis, Forestry Commission recreation ranger at Grizedale, said, “We already have the red grade North Face trail and a fantastic network of bridleways in the forest that are popular with bikers and this trail will be something new, different and exciting for bikers at Grizedale.”

For more information about Grizedale Forest, visit www.forestry.gov.uk/grizedale.

Work has begun on building a new black-grade biking trail in Grizedale Forest. that includes advanced features such as jumps, berms and tabletops.

Nepalese government urged to install portable toilets at Everest base camp, and devise strategy to keep region clean. A Nepali environmental group is petitioning the government in Kathmandu to put portable toilets on the top of the world – Everest base camp – as part of a new management plan for the high-altitude region. The environmental group, Eco Himal, argues public toilets would make it easier to maintain a clean environment at base camp, which sees dozens of climbing expeditions a year….. For the full article please click here

http://subzerotrade.purposemedia.co.uk/blog/?p=102 New Sub Zero Thermal Fleece Jackets Competition

Outdoor Enthusiast magazine have 3  New Sub Zero Fleece Jackets to give away. They are available in sizes Small-Xlarge. Just click on the following link to  access the competition page.

Sub Zero Polar Thermal Fleece Jackets are manufactured in the UK from super warm 300 Polar Polyester fleece. These technical fleece jackets have a velour anti-pill finish on the outside and a deep pile lambswool structure on the reverse for added loft and warmth. The long cut in combination with the elasticated hem cord will protect your lower back from exposure under active conditions. These high performance polar fleece jackets are ideal for wearing with your thermal underwear as a complete layering system and as an extra insulation layer under waterproof jackets. Available in both womens and mens styles as well as a unisex body warmer.

Figures recently compiled show that  paying a visit to one of the UK’s 15 National Parks is not only good for you but that visitors to National Parks contribute more than £4.5 billion to the economy with over 70 million visitors spending more than 160 million days enjoying National Parks. Carl Lis, chairman of the UK Association of National Park Authorities said, “In such financially austere times it’s good to see the significant value and economic benefits that National Parks deliver for society as a whole and our figures support and reinforce the conclusions of the recently published National Ecosystem Assessment by Government.

“Together with others, National Park Authorities make sure that National Parks are kept beautiful, open and accessible so that everyone can take time out from the stresses of daily life to refresh mind, body and spirit in stunning natural surroundings. Local communities benefit from the appeal of this unspoilt countryside through holiday accommodation and local shops, pubs, restaurants and services with National Parks Week being just one of the many ways that people can enjoy their National Parks.”

There are 15 Members of the National Park Family – 14 National Parks namely Brecon Beacons, Cairngorms, Dartmoor, Exmoor, The Lake District, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, The New Forest, Northumberland, North York Moors, The Peak District, Pembrokeshire Coast, Snowdonia, South Downs and The Yorkshire Dales; and the Broads which has equivalent status to a National Park.

Activities you can participate in at the National Parks are wide ranging from Mountaineering to Mountain Biking – just remember to take your thermal underwear this autumn!

Starting in the mountain resort of Crans-Montana, the route will cross over into France via the Jura mountains before heading up through France, across the Champagne region and into England before finishing in Norfolk. The group, which includes several riders who only sat on a road bike for the first time this summer, aims to raise £50,000 for WWTW.

The charity shot to national prominence earlier this year with their first major expedition – a trip to the North Pole that featured HRH Prince Harry among the expedition party – which is the subject of a BBC One documentary, ‘Harry’s Arctic Heroes’.

The funds raised by WWTW’s expeditions and the ride will help finance new qualifications, courses and further education for those who are seriously injured, therefore enabling the blind, the burn victims, the mentally injured, the amputees and all the other wounded to re-build their lives and to return to the work place.

Fergus Williams, Director of WWTW added, “During the course of operations, many young men and women suffer horrific injuries. When the wounded return home they face a very different future to the one they had planned, with challenges they never imagined and never trained for. For many, their future in the Armed Forces is unsure. This is the future that Walking with the Wounded is supporting.”

To find out more about the trip visit http://www.holkham.co.uk/charitycycleride or you can follow the team’s progress via http://www.facebook.com/walkingwiththewounded.