Paralympic gold medallist Ellie Simmonds hailed sport’s power for change after getting stuck in at a West Kirby beach clean as part of the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign.

The beach clean formed a key part of Team England’s leg of The King’s Baton Relay as part of a campaign for athletes and communities to come together to prevent one million pieces of plastic from entering Commonwealth waters.
Simmonds, who won five Paralympic gold medals during her time in the water, was effusive about the efforts on the Wirral to ensure sport does its bit for the environment and local communities.

“Sport brings the power of change, and it brings everyone together to highlight lots of different things,” she said.

“We’ve got the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July and Team England are doing their bit, not just at the competition, but to bring communities together.

“We’re all impacted by water in so many different ways. Sometimes we forget that and as athletes we have voices to inspire people.

“Using Commonwealth Games and sporting events can be life-changing because if kids or individuals see athletes doing certain things, they think ‘why don’t we too’?”

Simmonds joined members of the local community in Merseyside to don gloves and litter-pickers as they sought to clear West Kirby Beach of rubbish with the help of Surfers Against Sewage.

With the Commonwealth Games heading to Scotland from July 23, Commonwealth Sport is partnering with the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) to deliver the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign.

The initiative is bringing much-needed attention to both ongoing ocean conservation efforts and interesting new solutions to plastic waste with every Commonwealth nation getting involved.

“It’s been really nice all coming together in different teams. It’s been quite therapeutic being out in nature and doing our bit. I’ve really enjoyed it and we couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather,” added Simmonds.

“We see this beach and we think there’s no plastic at all but once you get the gloves there’s so many little pieces of plastic that we don’t see.

“There’s so much different stuff as well. I picked up a hairbrush, loads of leftover barbecues and cigarette butts.”
And with each of the 74 Commonwealth nations using their own bespoke baton, Team England are taking sustainability to heart with Bonnie Steward using reclaimed plastics to design the baton which will be carried from May 25-31, powered by Geely Auto UK.

Simmonds is unequivocal about the need for a change in perception towards sustainability that Team England and Commonwealth Sport are shining a light on.

“I love swimming but also over 72% of the world is water. We see the plastic every single day but we forget about the stuff underneath, there’s so much life in there that needs protecting,” she said.

“I’ve been so lucky that with my work I’ve been able to travel the world and see coral and life out there and now use my voice so that we don’t forget that.

“We live on an island and we’re surrounded by water. I’m surrounded by canals in Birmingham, the Thames in London, and we need to look after it.”

Team England are Ready to Win at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Keep up to date on https://teamengland.org/.