Sir Ben joins forces with NMA to spread word about oceans to pupils
Olympic sailor Sir Ben Ainslie and his wife Georgie have joined forces with the National Marine Aquarium (NMA) in Plymouth to spread the word about the oceans to schoolchildren.
The NMA aims to reach a million children and young families a year for the next five years through its Outreach programme.
The aquarium is calling for schools to include teaching about the marine environment as part of the national curriculum.
Sir Ben and Lady Ainslie were appointed as the Ocean Ambassadors at a gala dinner on Tuesday night.
The dinner raised £28,000, which was match-funded by a bequest by the NMA’s late chairman David Pridden.
Roger Maslin, the aquarium chief executive, said: “A lot of the work we do here is about understanding the impact of the oceans on our daily lives.”
The NMA has expanded its discovery and learning programmes to the North East and to Cardiff, and is aiming to create another 20 hubs around the country to spread the message. Mr Maslin said the latest fundraising would help to support that work.
Earlier in the day the couple began their duties as Ocean Ambassadors with a visit to St George’s primary in Plymouth, helping the schoolchildren to make marine discoveries from the comfort of their own classroom.
Sir Ben said: “The programme has the ability to teach people and make them realise that the ocean isn’t just ‘out there’ – it is also part of our lives.”
He is the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, with medals at five consecutive Games. He is now team principal and skipper of Ineos Team UK, the British challenger for the 36th America’s Cup in 2021.
Ineos, based in London, is one of the major producers of plastics. Sir Ben said: “The industry is working incredibly hard to find the solutions to get rid of single-use plastics.
“My experience of sailing has allowed me to see firsthand some of the unfortunate effects we have on our ocean. We want to help inspire proocean habits in other families.
“By supporting the NMA’s excellent Discovery and Learning programme, we also aim to inspire tomorrow’s leaders to protect our oceans and promote the message of ocean health and sustainability.”