A FORMER Olympic canoe coach who is using his love of the water to raise awareness of climate change has launched a fresh appeal for world leaders to act before a major international sporting gathering later this year.

David Train, who was born in Stockton, has spent years calling on world leaders to sign his Paddle for Life – a wooden canoe paddle which he is hoping to use a symbol to spread his message.

Former Prime Ministers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron Theresa May and Boris Johnson have all signed his paddle, as well as former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, European leaders, Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen and numerous Tees Valley politicians.

Now, with the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris just months away, he has written to the King and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to encourage them to accelerate his climate awareness project.

Mr Train would like to see two sea signal flags flown above the Victoria Tower of the House of Lords and the Eiffel Tower in Paris to represent the two nations’ joint efforts to tackle climate change, as well as an awareness regatta before every future Olympic Games.

He chose the flags to spell out WE because ‘’WE the United Kingdom, knowing that WE have an emergency are changing course to avoid a catastrophe". The flags were flown outside of Hartlepool Civic Centre in November 2021 during the COP26 Conference in Glasgow.

In a letter to Mr Sunak, Mr Train said: “You are in pole position to reframe the picture now and it can be done at no cost to the taxpayer. I have two sea signalling flags, fit to fly over the Victoria Tower, that have already been flown atop Pershore Abbey and Worcester Cathedral. I can get them to Lord McFall, the Lord Speaker, within days.

“You will be interested to know that Hartlepool became the first town in the world to fly the flags. They did so at the time of COP26 and I hope that, in memory of the Queen’s speech to COP they will be inspired to do so again on the way to Paris 2024.

“With Hartlepool flying the flags and the flags flying over the Victoria Tower, I hope that villages, towns and cities across the UK will leap on board and do the same, embedding the late Queen’s message in world culture.

“Stories change the world and, “working together”, WE in the United Kingdom, can create a wonderful story, immediately, that will sweep across our beloved planet. A story of hope that will grow for evermore.

“I hope that you will rise to the occasion and, with the speed of our swiftest Olympians and Paralympians, speak to the King. The rest will follow. WE in the UK and WE, humanity, will all win gold by Paris 2024.

In his letter to the King, Mr Train said, “As we move forward to the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, France and the GB have a huge opportunity to send a powerful signal of hope to all the world. As your mother said in her stately speech to COP26 “When nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope”.

Mr Train spent 12 years as a Great Britain Olympic canoe coach and helped the teams who competed at the Los Angeles, Seoul, Barcelona and Atlanta games between 1984 and 1996.

He was responsible for designing the first Bell Boat, which helps to encourage people to take up water sports. Nearly two million people, of a;; levels of ability, have taken their first step into paddle sport, since the Bell Boat was invented, including many on the Tees.