Surf therapy will support anxious children at inland surfing lagoon
A new project offering surfing as therapy for anxious children is being offered in Bristol in a new partnership between surf therapy charity The Wave Project and The Wave inland surfing lagoon.
It will be the first time that surf therapy has been offered away from a coastal site anywhere in the world.
The partnership is being announced on National Social Prescribing Day (12 March), which celebrates the work of the voluntary sector in delivering and supporting NHS services.
It will enable children from inner-city Bristol to access the mental health benefits of surf therapy without having to travel a long way to the coast.
Wave Project founder and CEO Joe Taylor said the project was the culmination of years of planning between him and Nick Hounsfield, the founder of The Wave.
He said: “It is really exciting to see this project come to fruition at last. Nick and I were talking about this at least five years ago, so it is wonderful to see it happening now.
“It is a game changer to be able to offer surf therapy to children in an inland setting, and we are hugely excited for the possibilities this project brings in transforming young people’s mental health.”