23/08/2023

The Wave Project - Club of the Month August 2023

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The Wave Project are a UK wide charity making quite a splash in the world of inclusive and adaptive surfing, enabling everyone to get in the sea and enjoy the benefits of the ocean. Read on and we're 'shore' you'll see why they're our club of the month.

Founded over a decade ago, The Wave Project had a missionf to help support both mental and physical health of young people through the power of surfing, with bases in Croyde, Scarborough and throughout the UK. Their adaptive provisions grew from here in 2017 when founder, Ian Bennet, was approached by a parent asking whether he could teach her son George how to surf. Ian recalls:

"George had quadriplegic cerebral palsy... His Mum informed he was also epileptic, blind and developmentally delayed... We hadn't done anything like that before, so I was a pretty nervous"

"But we got a small team together, we took George out and he had a great time."

Female wheelchair user laying on a surf board after being helped from a beach accessible wheelchair into the water. A male coach in red top is kneeling in the shallows holding her surfboard steady, another volunteer is stood and supporting the wheelchair.

The Wave Project approach all lesson requests with the mindset that the answer is "yes!" and then work backwards to see what adaptions are required to meet the individual's needs. This philosophy has seen the team become one of the most inclusive and inspiring providers in the country, delivering surf lessons to a wide range of ages, abilities and impairments.

Of that mindset, Andy, an instructor on the programme, told us:

"To date, I don't think either myself or Ian have ever said no"

The Wave Project's base from Surf South West in Croyde, North Devon, is the very first recognised adaptive hub with Surfing England, who themselves are in the process of rolling out a new series of adaptive coach and volunteer awards. The venue boast a fully accessible and class leading 'Changing Places' toilet and changing room, opening opportunities up for a wider range of disabled visitors than ever before.

The venue also houses a small armada of adaptive equipment,including seated surfboards, beach wheelchairs and specially adapted easy access wet suits. Of what that brings to the equation, Andy told us:

"We've done lessons over the years that you would never have thought possible, would never have been a concept 12 years ago. But now we're thinking it can be done, it will be done, we can make it happen... and we are doing!"

Visually impaired male surfer standing up on a surfboard for the very first time. He is stood sideways on the board with a low and balance posture, arms spread out low in front of him. The nose of the board is lifted as it rides the wave in and the water is white and foamy as it breaks either side. An instructor is in the water holding onto the back of the board, aiding with steering and giving instructions to the surfer.

During our visit we got to meet a huge range of participants, including Thomas Herod, a VI surfer (pictured here) who has been attending sessions since 2022. He told us, "I travel 2.5 - 3 hours just to get here. When you go out in the surf (with The Wave Project) you feel really safe and looked after... it feels like a family. I just loved it from the first time I tried it."

Also taking part that day were the Bottger family, who were in the area on holiday with their 3 children and booked a lesson after seeing others earlier in the week. Catching up after the lesson they told us:

"It's just helps us go to the beach and come away with a really, really, really happy memory where all three of them have just had a whale of a time."

"We've been able to just sit there and watch. We've not had to do a gym work out to get onto the beach or anything like that. The team have just been amazing. They've just made it possible."

Of that inclusive participation spirit, Ian also told us, "We aim every single session that if a sibling is coming in that either be right in the same piece of equipment or if not riding the same piece of equipment, they’ll be riding a board and they'll be catching exactly the same waves. So it is a real family activity. We absolutely will get mums and dads in at the same time as well if they want."

Andy wrapped up by telling us that the good vibes don't end when people leave the water.

"They found other avenues in their life have just got better, like reading ages have gone up and you’d have thought, 'how is that connected to surfing?'. It's just incredible it all starts from a wave."

Congratulations to The Wave Project, thorough deserving of our #EveryBodyMoves powered by Toyota Club of the Month for August 2023.

More information on The Wave Project and locations near you here.

More info on Surfing England adaptive coaching and volunteer awards here.