Hi all,

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My friends Paul Gripari and Nathalie Eliasco have embarked on an ambitious project to raise $40,000 to cover a shortfall in the World Wildlife Fund’s Cyclades Life Project (more on this below) by swimming 15km—the equivalent of 1.5 Olympic marathons!—this coming Saturday 11th in Porto Rafti, Greece. To help them reach this target, they have asked a few unhinged friends if they would be willing to participate with them, and two days before the event (true to form), yours truly has signed up.

So, after precisely 3.5 hours of training and more beer over the last month than I care to mention, I will be swimming 5km, or half a marathon, on Saturday, in one go, in the sea, without leaving the water or standing on the seabed, without the use of a wetsuit, or any floating equipment (not even while eating or drinking), because those are the sadistic rules of open water swimathons.

With this in mind, I am wondering if I might beseech each of you to kindly contribute a small amount (up to £20/€25 or equivalent) to the cause through Justgiving.com? For this, the monk seals of Gyaros and I will be eternally grateful.

Thanks,
Tassos x

What is the Cyclades Life Project?
If only 10% of the world seas were protected, that would be enough to safeguard the future for the next generations. Presently only 1% of the Mediterranean is protected and only 0.1% of the Greek seas are protected. This is a grave situation which WWF Greece is working hard to correct. Through the Cyclades Life Project which WWF is implementing with a number of partners within and beyond Greece, the first steps are being laid to establish a model Marine Protected Area, the first of its kind in the Mediterranean Sea. This will help protect one of its most iconic species from extinction: the critically endangered Mediterranean Monk Seal, with a remaining population of a mere 600. The project, which is already underway, aims to create a mutually beneficial protected zone around the island of Gyaros (which hosts the most significant population of monk seals in the world), with Andros to the north and Syros to the east. In partnership with the local communities, including the fishermen of both Andros and Syros, WWF Greece aims to instill a sustainable environment for both the amazing wildlife in the region as well as the local community who will greatly benefit from sustainable fishing techniques and eco-tourism. For more details on the Cyclades Life Project, please visit www.cycladeslife.gr/en.

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