SEA-LOVING Eighties pop icon Simon Le Bon will be sending out a green message when he makes a guest appearance at next month’s Theyachtmarket.com Southampton Boat Show.

The lead singer of Duran Duran will officially open the Sunseeker stand, which, as well its latest models, will feature an exhibition of its new environmental project

Simon is a long-serving ambassador of The Blue Marine Foundation, which is working to stop overfishing and helping to create marine reserves.

Since 2017, Sunseeker has partnered with Blue and has recently launched its first campaign titled ‘Project Menorca’.

Since becoming an ambassador for BLUE, Simon, 59, has launched fundraising initiatives, including a charity bike ride from London to Monaco, spoken on behalf of the charity at several events and carried out interviews highlighting the work of the charity.

He said: “The sea is a beautiful thing. We all grew up thinking it was perfect, pristine, and it would always stay that way. However, now we’re starting to see the reality of humanity’s impact on the world’s waters. It is a disaster unfolding before our eyes.

“If we want to preserve the living seas, we have a lot of work to do and it heartens me to see brands like Sunseeker working really hard to raise awareness and implement projects that will help us in our endeavour.”

Menorca is regarded as one of the last unspoiled areas of the Mediterranean and boasts an abundance of marine life. It’s a main spawning area for bluefin tuna and is home to 628 species of seaweed, fish and shellfish.

Unfortunately, the island also faces increased pressure from unregulated fishing, tourism and pollution, and the current marine protection scheme is proving ineffective, say Blue.

Project Menorca will bid to:

l Develop of eco-moorings to preserve seagrass beds

l Invest patrol vessels and marine ‘rangers’,

l Work with local fishermen to develop a ‘code of conduct’ for responsible fishing

l Distribute ‘More Fish, Less Plastic’ reusable biodegradable shopping bags across the island

The singer, who will arrive at the show on September 14 aboard a Sunseeker Manhattan, is a keen sailor and took part in the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1985 aboard his yacht Drum, coming in third overall on elapsed time.

As well as Le Bon, the star of Poole-based Sunseeker’s stand is set to be the new Predator 50, which is making its debut at the event.

Theyachtmarket.com Southampton Boat Show is the UK’s biggest boat show, featuring more than 600 global marine brands. The event will run from September 14 to 23 at Mayflower Park.