Slazenger
I’m delighted to be working with Slazenger as an ambassador and thrilled to be in partnership with such an iconic British brand.
I’ve already been lucky enough to have 2 co-branded swimwear ranges and we are currently working on the third together. I can’t wait for you all to see it!
I’ve always wanted to design my own performance swimwear range and this opportunity to collaborate, combined with Slazenger’s dedication to get more people swimming, made this partnership a perfect fit.
You can also follow @SlazengerSport, but we will hopefully be launching the new range this summer. Watch this space!
Encephalitis Society
In 2008 I accepted an invitation to become an Ambassador of the Encephalitis Society, a national charity and the only resource of it’s kind in the world supporting people affected by the illness.
My sister Laura was seriously ill in 2005 with Encephalitis, a life threatening illness which leaves many of those who survive with injury to the brain. Laura made a good recovery, however the experience and its effect upon the family has stayed with me. Following the Beijing Olympics i was determined to make charitable work part of my agenda – an obvious choice was of course a cause close to my heart.
Having seen at first hand how the illness affected my sister Laura and how little we knew about it at the time, my hope is to work with the team in order to raise awareness of the illness to help sufferers and their families. I’m pleased that my success in the swimming pool will enable me to increase the understanding of the disease and make sure that other families don’t have to go through the experience we had.
Women In Sport
I am so pleased to be able to support the vital work being done by Women in Sport to transform sport for the benefit of every woman and girl in the UK. As an athlete, and as a mum, I know first-hand how important it is for young girls in particular to have strong role models in their lives to encourage them to take part in sport. I hope that through speaking out in my role as Patron, I will be able to make a positive difference to the way women and girls experience sport, from the field of play to the boardroom. I’m delighted to represent this fantastic charity and looking forward to encouraging as many people as I can to support our work.