Sharron Davies urges Plymouth to take the plunge at watersports event
Plymouth’s Olympic silver medalist and Commonwealth double gold medalist, Sharron Davies, has given her backing to this year’s Ecover Blue Mile in the city and hopes it will encourage more people to take up water sports.
Sharron, who has a busy summer as a BBC commentator ahead of her, said the event on the Barbican on 14-15 September will also raise awareness about the marine environment. Sharron is a patron of the Marine Conservation Society – the charity partner of the Ecover Blue Mile.
“This is a fantastic way to get people into the blue environment whilst raising money for the Marine Conservation Society,” said Sharron, who won her Olympic swimming medal in Moscow in 1980.
Sharron is also urging people who can’t get to the Plymouth Ecover Blue Mile or the Weymouth Ecover Blue Mile on 27-28 July to organise their own event for the cause: “Whether it’s wild swimming or a doing a length of your local pool, people of all ages and levels of fitness and ability can really immerse themselves in all types of watery activities.”
Hundreds of people are set to take part in the Plymouth Ecover Blue Mile, which involves taking to water in a series of events – swimming, kayaking and stand-up and paddling.
Conrad Humphreys of the Ecover Blue Mile said: “We want people to get actively involved with the blue environment. Sharron’s support is brilliant news and will hopefully inspire more people to join us in making a splash for the Marine Conservation Society.”
Sharron’s support of the event comes just days after Prince William backed calls for swimming to be accessible to all primary school children. The English Schools Swimming Association, which the Duke of Cambridge is patron of, says half of seven-to 11-year-olds in England – that’s 1.1 million children – can’t swim the length of a standard pool.
Details of how to sign up for the Ecover Blue Mile or organise your own event are on the website:
