A PASSIONATE paddle boarder is set to make waves later this month as she talks plastic pollution at the Peebles Outdoor Film Festival.

Cal Major, founder of Paddle Against Plastic, will address the issue of plastic in our oceans and explain how, although the problem is huge, it’s one that can be tackled on an individual level.

She founded Paddle Against Plastic in a bid to reconnect people with the ocean environment and nurture a desire to protect it.

To do so, she has used her epic stand-up paddleboard adventures to capture imaginations, highlight the issue of plastic pollution close to home and promote positive change through simple solutions.

Cal’s adventures began in 2016 when she undertook a 300-mile voyage around the Cornish coast.

She followed this in 2017 with a solo circumnavigation of the Isle of Skye, which spawned an award-winning film, Skye’s the Limit.

And last year, she went bigger still, completing a world-first paddle from Land’s End to John O’Groats – a journey of 1,000 miles that took 59 days to complete.

“It was an expedition I’d had in the back of my mind for years,” explained Cal.

“It was a way to demonstrate that, wherever we are in the UK, we’re never too far from plastic pollution, but also to highlight all the amazing things happening to help tackle the problem.”

As well being a huge physical challenge – battling tidal races, huge swells, hypothermia and exhaustion – each adventure was designed to highlight the effects of plastic pollution on even our wildest stretches of coastline.

And the need for protection is great, she said: “Some of the pollution, especially close to cities, was staggering. There is a lot to be done, but this can only be done collaboratively, with caring about the problem the first step to being part of the solution,” said Cal.

Cal will headline the Making Waves session at the Peebles Outdoor Film Festival, at 6.30pm on Friday, January 25.

The session includes a programme of short films exploring adventures in the world’s rivers and oceans.

Tickets £15, £8 schoolchildren, £20 adult and child, available from Box Office on 01721 725777 or online at https://eastgatearts.com/events/poff-making-waves/