Olympic gold medallist rower Pete Reed is a patron for The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation’s Look After Your Lungs programme.
Pete, who is a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, formed part of the British Men's Four rowing team that won Gold at the Beijing Olympics in August 2008.
He will compete at part of Team GB at the Olympic Games in London in 2012 alongside his team mates, Tom James, Andy Triggs-Hodge and Steve Williams.
Lt Reed – who is reported as having the largest lung capacity ever measured - is an avid supporter of The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation and is keen to use his sporting success to promote healthy living and sports participation among young people:
He said: “I'm delighted to support The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, which is the only charity in the UK wholly dedicated to defeating lung cancer, the biggest cancer killer in the world.
“The charity seeks to achieve this through its unique research into the early detection of lung cancer. They provide emotional and practical support for all those affected by lung cancer and campaign for increased resources being made available for lung cancer research and patient support.
"They also enable children and young people to make informed decisions about smoking and the tobacco industry, which is a strong interest of mine.”
Dr Rosemary Gillespie, chief executive of The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said: "We were thrilled when Pete offered to support The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation so soon after winning his Olympic gold medal.
“As an Olympic ambassador, Pete is the perfect role model for young people. His encouragement to pursue healthy life-styles, and in particular not to smoke, will prove to be an important ingredient in our campaigning with young people.
“You don’t need to have Pete’s record breaking lung capacity of 11.68 litres to be healthy, but his exceptional physique will help us draw attention to the UK’s biggest cancer killer. We are very grateful to Pete for pledging his support to our charity."
The Look After Your Lungs Programme is designed to increase people’s awareness of the risk factors for lung cancer and respiratory disease, as well as the common signs and symptoms.
The thirty minute workshop is delivered within the workplace and provides an ideal opportunity to give positive messages on healthy lifestyle choices.