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Neil Agius presented with Commonwealth points of light award
Neil Agius has been presented the prestigious Points of Light award by the British High Commissioner to Malta, Cathy Ward. The award, which was signed by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, honours Neil’s exceptional voluntary services advocating for plastic-free seas.
Neil Agius became the 151st Commonwealth Point of Light in August of 2020, after the completion of his daunting 95km swim from Sicily to St Julians, to raise awareness about the threats to the world’s oceans and their biodiversity. He was the second person in history to have undertaken the mammoth swim. Neil is also the co-founder of the Wave of Change campaign, which raises awareness regarding plastic pollution in the Maltese sea.
During his meeting with the high commissioner, Neil spoke about his satisfaction in inspiring so many to make changes to the way they treat our earth. “There is no planet B, so we really need to respect it, once we can learn to do that, then we will be able to enjoy it at its full potential and glory,” he said.
Cathy Ward expressed her admiration towards Neil’s ‘incredible accomplishments, aimed at raising awareness about climate change and other global issues’ and praised him for leading by example to inspire change!
As part of her legacy of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London 2018, Queen Elizabeth II, as head of the Commonwealth, is thanking inspirational volunteers across the 54 Commonwealth nations, for the difference they are making in their communities and beyond, by recognising one volunteer from each Commonwealth country every single week.Â
By sharing these stories of service, the Commonwealth Points of Light awards celebrate inspirational acts of volunteering across the Commonwealth and help and inspire others to make their own contribution to tackling some of the greatest social challenges of our time.
The Commonwealth is a diverse community of 54 nations, which work together to promote prosperity, democracy and peace. The heads of government meeting brought together leaders from all 54 member countries, to reaffirm common values, address shared global challenges and agree on how to work to create a better future for all citizens, especially young people.Â
Voluntary service is a vital part of this agenda, which is why Queen Elizabeth has chosen to recognise outstanding volunteers across the Commonwealth in this special way.
