Updated on Aug 16th 2011 at 7:35 PM from the JustGiving API
so after months of staying in shape, not partying, completing various races in the speedo swim series and generally being good....we completed the Hellespont race! respectably too - paul managed 7th in age category and 35th overall (out of 450) whilst steph got home a minute or so later and 47th/3rd in his agegroup. not bad at all!
stay posted for the next challenge and mr walliams, you're putting us to shame
£3.50 is all we're asking for from everyone. More than 3.5 billion people depend on the ocean as a primary source of food. Or £2, or £1, or if you're feeling generous then go mad and give £3333.50 (especially if it's your company card). The point is, no amount is embarrassing or too much. If everyone does it then we're making a difference.
We're swimming the Hellespont on August 30th, a stretch of water between Greece and Turkey, as part of an annual event - Turkish Remembrance Day. History is abound - Troy and Gallipoli are just down the road, and a host of empire-seeking nations have passed this way as well as certain swimmers by the name of Leander and Byron.
'We' are Paul Willoughby and Steph Pomphrey (mates/colleagues at www.thechurchoflondon.com) - keen swimmers, love the water and although it's a long swim (about 4km) we are expecting to complete it in a decent time. We're also swimming 3km at the end of May in the Eton Swim Series plus maybe a couple of other smaller ones like the Bournemouth Pier-to-Pier. We'll probably swim some more and keep this page going, because what follows is more important than anything we care to think of.
The oceans and sea life are under serious threat. There are a few organisations actively trying to reverse the decline. Sea Shepherd is one and they have almost single-handedly stopped illegal Japanese whaling, the recent tsunami inadvertently did the rest. Next stop: shark finning where the numbers are shocking, Taiji dolphin slaughters, Galapagos protection......
We all love the coast, the beach, the waters edge. We have all used the sea, marveled at dolphins maybe, watched turtles dig holes whilst Sir David gets all excited. If you ever went diving you know the wonder stored beneath.
A quick google and the following animals are at risk. Endangered: leatherback turtle, blue whale, right whale, skate, porbeagle shark, white shark, bottlenose whale. Threatened: cod, wolffish, bass, mako, blue shark, tuna. Endangered means about 90% of their population has disappeared in recent times - imagine that happening to us.
And let's not get started on coral reefs, mangrove habitats, oil exploration, plastic pollution...........please see the links below, they tell the story better than us.
