The Clean Water Sports Alliance’s call for healthy and nature-rich blue spaces for everyone to enjoy has been recognised at the BBC Green Sports Awards 2024.
The Alliance - of which the Royal Yachting Association is a member - was shortlisted for the Grassroots Sports Organisation of the Year, as athletes and groups working hard to enact and inspire change were celebrated.
The Alliance represents 450,000 members, athletes and millions of participants and water users who are impacted each and every day by poor water quality and pollution.
The Alliance will continue to work together to influence decision-makers and drive positive change, working collaboratively to highlight issues and create solutions to help return the UK’s blue spaces to be where nature can thrive and sport and recreation can be enjoyed.
In April 2024, seven water-based sports, British Rowing, British Triathlon, GB Outrigger, Paddle UK, Royal Yachting Association, Swim England and The Angling Trust, came together to create an alliance calling for clean open water across the UK.
Surfing England, British Kitesport, British Sub-Aqua Club and British Dragon Boat Racing joined in September.
The Clean Water Sports Alliance is asking for healthy and nature-rich blue spaces for everyone to enjoy.
The Alliance has set out three priorities:
The Alliance have been working together to influence decision-makers and drive positive change, working collaboratively to highlight issues and create solutions to help return the UK’s blue spaces to be where nature can thrive and sport and recreation can be enjoyed.
The group is calling for better funding for regulators, accurate and accessible real-time information and recognition of the wide range of activities that depend on clean water.