Our team
Project Planet Earth began with Oly Rush, but as interest in his work has grown, he has had to build a team of people to help him. All the team members give their time and expertise for free, whether joining beach cleans, planning and organising events, developing education programmes, working on the website and publicity materials, or supporting Oly on his extreme swims.
Here’s an introduction to our key team members, together with the reasons they are so passionate about the future of Planet Earth.
I’ve always had a fascination, ok obsession, with the ocean. From a very early age I remember how it dominated every part of our childhood holidays. Camping along the rugged Cornish coastline, waking up to the sound of the waves crashing, playing on the beach all day, swimming in the sea and being fascinated by the creatures in the rock pools. Then I’d fall asleep to the soothing roar of the waves once again. Yeah…I’d say it was an obsession.
As I’ve grown older I’ve surrounded myself with water, be it through swimming, surfing, kayaking (along with trying my hand at most water sports) and more recently through beach cleaning and some huge open water swims.
The damage we are doing to our oceans is too painful to sit back and watch so I’m redirecting the sadness and pain into drive and passion to make a difference.
‘Having witnessed Project Planet Earth grow, I am filled with hope. None of this would be possible without the collective enthusiasm, generosity, skillset and vision of our team. I am beyond grateful to the team, sponsors, supporters and everyone out there who is doing their bit for this beautiful planet.’
I have always loved nature and protecting our world – my mum called me her little environmentalist! I would always be showing my family how to recycle and be greener. I knew from an early age that we had to take care of our amazing planet.
I always wanted to change the world and this was the reason I chose to study environmental science at Plymouth University. I had big dreams of having a career in this field. Unfortunately, when I left university things did not quite work out as I had planned, and life and a few other things got in the way.
So when I met Oly and heard all about Project Planet Earth I knew I wanted to be part of this amazing charity.
‘At last, I have a purpose built on my passion for caring for our planet. To be able to raise awareness and help prevent plastic pollution in the ocean, through Project Planet Earth, is a dream come true.’
I’m lucky enough to live by the sea. I’m fascinated by marine wildlife – and get totally over-excited when I see seals, dolphins, shoals of fish, heaps of spider crabs – or even jellyfish.
But at the same time, I find the amount of plastic in the sea utterly depressing. I had begun to feel lost and helpless in the face of the problem.
Then, when looking for a charity to support with my Channel swim, I came across Oly Rush. From the moment I met him, I knew that his Project Planet Earth was the perfect match for me. I ended up not only making it my designated charity, but also volunteering to join the team.
‘Oly’s passion for the ocean – and unfailing determination to do all he can to reduce the plastic in our seas – is inspirational. His epic swims and endless enthusiasm are motivating a new generation of eco-activists.’
As a kid, you’d find me outside, listening to the sound of rain hitting the hood of my coat. I was too young back then to know that nature already lived deeply in my heart and that I loved natural places.
Later in life, the Wilderness Leadership School in South Africa gave me a deeply personal insight into the power of the natural world to heal people and in return, the need for people to help heal the planet.
I’ve always tried to do my bit for the environment, but it feels too little, too late and I carry sadness about this.
The seas are our biggest wilderness. The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site is on my doorstep, but it’s full of plastic.
‘The Rush documentary helped me to see that there was something I could do locally to impact globally. The work of Project Planet Earth gives me hope. It’s an honour to join a tribe of people who value protecting the sea.’
Growing up I was completely obsessed with fish and as such loved anything to do with water. Rock pools and rivers were my favourite places to be!
I consider myself lucky that I had a father who showed me how to respect our surroundings, pick up rubbish and reduce harm to any animals. As such I have always loved the view of trying to leave a place better than when you arrived.
I am fascinated by ecosystems and how everything links together. I started following Oly our founder (or flounder as he prefers to be called!) on social media and was curious about the impacts of plastic pollution. Oly showed me around Chapman’s Pool and I was shocked by the sheer amount of plastic washing up there.
‘I see plastic pollution everywhere…but instead of getting down about it, I focus on the many great people helping to clean up this mess and raise awareness – and nothing inspires more than Project Planet Earth.’
‘This is where I crossed paths with Oly – over an initial mutual love for swimming – and ideas started forming around Project Planet Earth and how I could help. I am very lucky to be part of this great team. We are striving to help others come with us on the journey of awareness and action to save our oceans.’
Whilst growing up in Iran, my family and I would travel for 3 hours to the coast of the Caspian Sea, to spend time splashing in the waves and barbequing on the sand. I remember being so excited, I would cross off the days on my calendar until it was the day to pack my bags. More than 20 years later, I found myself living by the sea in Bournemouth, and came across Oly and his adventures at a Beach Clean organised by Sea Shepherds. Meeting a fellow vegan who is equally as passionate about the planet as I am, it felt right to offer to design him a brand new website. This has easily become my favourite project to work on so far; helping Oly to raise awareness about plastic pollution and promoting his inspiring swimming challenges by creating a website that reflects exactly who he is.
