Lewis Pugh, the UN Patron of the Oceans and renowned endurance swimmer, has announced his latest challenge, which will see him call on the British Government to urgently protect the seas around the UK coast and British Overseas Territories.
Lewis is embarking on The Long Swim, in which he will attempt to swim the full length of the English Channel. Adhering to the Channel Swimming Association Ltd. rules, wearing just Speedo swimming trunks, a cap and goggles, Lewis will start at Land’s End in Cornwall on Thursday 12th July, with the swim expected to end at Dover towards the end of August.
The Long Swim will mark the start of a worldwide campaign entitled Action for Oceans, an initiative that is calling on governments to fully protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
About Lewis Pugh:
British endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh is the only person to have completed a long-distance swim in every ocean of the world.
Over a period of 30 years he has pioneered swims in the most challenging environments on earth including the Antarctic, the North Pole and the Himalayas, and developed an understanding of the beauty and fragility of life and its many ecosystems.
In 2007 he undertook the first long-distance swim across the North Pole, wearing just Speedo swimming trunks, to highlight the melting of the Arctic sea ice. He followed this up with a swim across a glacial lake on Mt Everest to draw attention to the melting glaciers in the Himalayas and the impact the reduced water supply will have on the region.
Lewis's driving purpose is to protect our oceans.
In 2016 he played a pivotal role in creating the largest Marine Protected Area in the world in the Ross Sea off Antarctica. The media coined the term “Speedo Diplomacy” to describe his efforts swimming in the icy waters of Antarctica and shutting between the USA and Russia to help negotiate the final agreement.
Lewis was born in Plymouth. He worked as a maritime lawyer in London before becoming a full-time ocean advocate.
In 2010, he was selected a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. In 2013, he was appointed the first UN Patron of the Oceans.
About Surfers Against Sewage:
Surfers Against Sewage is one of the UK's best-loved marine conservation charities. Driven by people who actively use our oceans and beaches, the charity works with over 75,000 beach clean volunteers annually to take a stand against plastic pollution. The charity has also pioneered Plastic Free Communities, a movement designed to unite and empower cities, towns and villages to reduce their collective plastic footprint, which has already reached over 300 cities and towns globally. This is a new front line in the fight against ocean plastic pollution.
Surfers Against Sewage, is a partner in The Long Swim and will be hosting regular beach clean-ups along the swim route.
The campaign is sponsored by global forex broker FXTM (https://forextime.com) as well as Speedo.
