This post is dedicated to Simon Holliday and Libby Alexander who are currently doing a 31 day no wetsuit swim challenge in support of the Splash Foundation - www.splashfoundation.org
They are looking for 31 people to support Splash by becoming monthly donors.
Keep up the good work, and hopefully Lewis will make you feel lucky that you're in the Hong Kong water and not the North Pole!
An important part of making differences in not only our own lives but the lives of others is finding inspiration in our environment, culture, and those around us. Through our inspiration series we aim to highlight those people who have achieved feats that not only show how sheer determination can make their dreams come true but also how these are often tied to a deeply rooted desire to better the world around them.
In the first of the series we present a 11 year old Ted talk from British-South African legendary open water swimmer Lewis Pugh swimming the first ever 1km swim in the North Pole! Amongst other achievements Lewis is the first ever swimmer to complete a long distance swim in every ocean of the world, the first person to swim the entire length of the River Thames, has completed the Seven Seas, swam a glacial lake on Mount Everest, and most impressively has swam the entire length of the English Channel - 528km.
His main reason for putting his body through such hardship in some of the most dangerous waters in the world is to shine the light on vulnerable ecosystems, the effects of climate change, and the importance of water supplies across the planet. Living in a city where waste is a huge problem, often coming across huge swathes of pollution in the ocean especially during summer, we think that we can all agree on the importance of minimising our impact on the ocean as much as possible.
As you'll see from the video embedded below Lewis is not only a phenomenal swimmer but also a entertaining speaker.
Dream big, allow yourself to be inspired, and remember that often the dreams and achievements that we set for ourselves pave the way for others to follow suit.