On the mild morning of the 12th of July, something truly momentous began near Land’s End in Cornwall. UN Patron of the Oceans and world-famous endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh strode into the waves off Sennen Cove and took his very first strokes of a 50-day, body-breaking challenge that aims to raise awareness of the crisis facing our oceans.
Championed by global forex broker FXTM, Lewis Pugh will swim the entire length of the English Channel, from Land’s End to Dover. It’s the first time anyone has attempted this – and with good reason. It’s a brutal 560-kilometre slog in cold, difficult waters and the equivalent of swimming between England and France 16 times. Lewis plans to swim 10 to 20 kilometres a day (depending on the tides, weather and water conditions), finishing at the white cliffs of Dover at the end of August.
As the lead sponsor of the Long Swim, FXTM hosted the launch of this inspiring event. The atmosphere was electric, with a notable crowd of supporters and fans gathering to see Lewis off and wish him well in this important campaign. After a final interview with Sky News and a last good-luck handshake with FXTM Global Head of Marketing, Nandik Barbhaiya, Lewis stoically began his historic battle with the cold, the currents and the inevitable jellyfish.
The Long Swim is the first attention-grabbing event in the Action for Oceans decade-long campaign. The campaign aims to convince the UK government to designate 30% of its waters as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by 2030, an ambitious goal considering that currently only 7 square kilometres out of 750,000 enjoy this protection. MPAs help defend important marine habitats against the noxious dangers of plastic pollution and overfishing that are destroying ocean life around the world at an alarming rate.
FXTM is delighted to support this cause and the awe-inspiring athleticism of its newest brand ambassador. As a brand that takes its corporate responsibility to its clients across the globe so seriously, FXTM relishes the opportunity to take such vital action – time is running out. Without collective, coherent changes now, it may soon be too late to save our seas.
Speaking at a media event held two days before the launch, FXTM’s CEO, Nicholas Defteras, commented, “Lewis takes a universal problem and makes it into something that we universally need to be engaged in. Lewis’ actions are focused on three pillars: he wants to alert us, to inform us, and ultimately to make us more conscientious. We have the exact same pillars at FXTM, because informing and educating our clients is a never-ending process. The motto we chose for this campaign – Our Oceans. Our Time – quite literally highlights the urgency that the issue has. There is never going to be a better time to take action.”
At the same event, Lewis emphasised the challenges ahead, which are as mental as they are physical. It will be a gruelling ordeal, and getting into the freezing waters to swim through the blooms of jellyfish that have accumulated along the coast because of the warm weather will become increasingly unappealing. He’s adamant, however, that he will stay the course and fight for the oceans he feels so passionately about. He also spoke movingly about the drastic depletion he’s seen in marine biodiversity over the course of his 30-year career. It’s an impressive career span for an athlete – but a terrifyingly short timeframe considering the enormity of the environmental changes he’s borne witness to.
Sky News will be tracking Lewis’ progress as he fights sun burn, jellyfish stings and the treacherous currents and FXTM will also be with him every stroke of the way. Follow #FXTMGoesBlue on social channels to support this incredible world-first achievement in the making.
To read more about this partnership and the Long Swim, please visit FXTM.