#LitterHeroes Wayne & Koda are walking the whole of the UK coast litter picking along the way.
Wayne & Koda are truely inspiring every day heroes! If you are ever in any doubt about what is possible in life then this is the inspirational story for you!
Wayne Dixon, from Lancashire, has overcome addiction, mental health problems, a broken neck, grief and financial difficulties but none of that stopped him from following his true passion. He is walking the entire coast of Britain picking up every piece of litter he passes along the way and is showing us how one passionate person CAN create positive change.
Photo c/o Bude Today
Wayne became frustrated at how society treated his bi-polar father; frustrated at how his peers were stuck in a cycle of heroine addition; and frustrated at the lack of respect society has for its environment. He has worked a a support worker and experienced first hand the problems of our current society. Now more than ever, people are overwhelmed by concerns about our environment. But as those in power seem to ignore the impact they could have and instead appear to support those making it worse. The rich are getting richer and the problems in society continue to be under supported. This hass given Wayne the drive to keep going, to talk about his story, to raise awareness of the problems and inspire the next generations to be different.
We NEED people like Wayne. There are so many priviledge folk talking about plastic but there are people from ALL WALKS OF LIFE who are taking action, and creating change.
After his dad passed away leaving him Koda, a Northern Inuit dog, Wayne decided it was time to follow his long dream to walk the coast of Britain. Despite living on an income of only £50/week, he set off on in February 2016 and is picking up every single piece of litter he walks past along the way!
Eco-Anxiety
There is a long intro from me on this episode as I include some advice on dealing with eco-anxiety. It felt poignent, partly as it is a hot topic right now, but also because Wayne talks at length about the mental health issues he has faced and also that his father experienced. Eco-Anxiety is a normal response to the current threats but allowing the anxiety to take hold doesnt put us in a mindset where we can take action.
I have set up a support group th deal with this as part of the solution is to find your tribe and create a suppport network.
I explain this in more detain in the episode but essentially it comes down to ACTS.
Acknowlede and Accept
Create Plans
Think about your impact
Support group
Another key is getting outside, reconnecting with nature and that is exactly what has saved Wayne and helped him to gain the clarity and mindset he needed to take action.
Wayne & Koda
I was privileged to catch up with Wayne & Koda back in July 2019 when his walk brought him into Brighton and Hove.
If the story resonates with you then please support his campaign to raise money for the mental health charity Mind. He has already raised a third of his £30k target!
More about Wayne’s journey here:
This podcast was edited by Wee Bird Design and Clare Talks!
Clare Talks Rubbish is a podcast brought to you by Clare Talks, a Coach and Ocean Advocate. We are on a mission to inspire you to break outside the status quo, to create a wave of change. We want to inspire and help change makers, leaders and every day heroes. We love supporting and connecting people so do get in touch if you think we can be of assistance.
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