Tavistock College Surf Academy hosts surf sessions for inner city youth

TAVISTOCK College Surf Academy students treated under-privileged teenagers to a fantastic day of fun at Polzeath Beach.

The students donated funds to local charity CHICKS (Country Holidays for Inner City Kids) after completing a sponsored paddle at Meadowlands Leisure Pool and took 16 holidaying teenagers for a surf.

Teacher Pete Keegan, who runs the academy with learning mentor Dan Kinsman, said: "We treated the group to a free surf lesson and nine experienced surfers from the surf team helped out by pushing the excited teens into well-chosen waves. They offered enthusiasm and helped with the confidence of the first timers. The surf lesson was a great success with many of the group successfully standing up by the end of the session and there were huge grins all round."

Mr Keegan said the two groups mingled really well and it was clear they benefited from the experience of meeting others from different backgrounds.

The young people enjoyed lunch on top of the cliff overlooking Polzeath's small, clean swell before playing beach games together.

Mr Keegan added: "It was wonderful to see the fantastic work that CHICKS does with these teenagers who come from very diverse and often complicated backgrounds. Everybody involved in the day left feeling thoroughly rewarded and full of enthusiasm."

Ali Hurley, CHICKS' deputy operations manager, said the young people were full of smiles and stories about catching the waves, standing up and playing on the beach.

She continued: "As a first time experience of the beach for many it was an absolute hit and a memory that will hopefully stay with them forever."
 

The Tavistock College Surf Academy runs a variety of events from foreign surf trips and beach clean-ups to this summer's 'Project Aloha' which will offer surfing experiences to members of the college community.