Focusing attention on ocean pollution
THE Waterfront Canal Challenge (WCC) is calling on primary and high school pupils to enter a special competition geared at awareness about ocean pollution – one of the biggest threats the planet faces.
On October19, the WCC will be showcasing art made from rubbish in a special competition in which it will display work from two categories: the junior category for primary school grades, and the senior category for high school grades.
The artwork will be judged according to five criteria: beauty, skill and technique, fidelity to the theme, uniqueness, and fun-filled intent.
The success of the inaugural WCC held last year has prompted organisers to expand the event’s offering this year and add some exciting new initiatives, including the introduction of an invitation only Theodore Yach Wave, where Elite Skins swimmers will battle the one mile swim to win the Theodore Yach Memorial Elite Mile Trophy.
The event is Africa’s only urban canal swim, and will be held on October 19 in the V&A Waterfront’s Battery Park Precinct and comprises a one-mile (1600m) and a half-mile (800m) open water swim, starting at Battery Park and following a circular route past the One & Only Hotel, and finishing back at Battery Park.
The swim offers categories for both wetsuit and skins swimmers of all ages.
An especially exciting new development is the event’s collaboration with the Cape Town International Boat Show, which will be held at the V&A Waterfront on the same weekend and race entrants will receive two free tickets to the show.
A key goal of the WCC is to raise awareness around plastic pollution and how the public can help turn the tide on single-use plastics.
Waterfront Rotary Club president Derek Pead said: “We received such fantastic feedback from the swimming community on the first event that hosting the second Waterfront Canal Challenge was an easy decision.
“We hope to raise some substantial funding for the Waterfront Rotary Club projects, which include the upgrade of 40 Early Childhood Development Centres in Langa, libraries in various schools across the city, our Entrepreneurship and Mentoring programme, and our youth projects.”
Entrants can create artwork from plastic trash as an individual, or in the team category with three to 10 members.
Entries close on September20. Winners stand a chance to win prizes valued at R10 000, as well entry tickets to the Aquarium.
Visit: http:// waterfrontcanalchallenge.co.za/ wp-content/uploads/2019/08/PosterArt-from-Trash-Entry-Form-2019.pdf