Led by Rachael Green, Aqua Health and Wellbeing supports people with additional needs and disabilities to access the ocean.
The company will be expanding its offering, forming a charity to deliver adapted surfing and introducing new adaptive surfing equipment to the island.
The Aqua Health team, including Tara Linton and Sophie Veron, will be travelling to Wales to collect a new beach wheelchair which will allow individuals with limited mobility to access the shoreline safely, and Guernsey’s first seated adaptive surfboard will enable people with higher support needs to experience surfing.
‘This is our third year and we’re excited that this year we are going to be able to help even more people in the water,’ said Ms Green.
‘We’ve kindly been donated from another charity – Karma Seas – who I trained with when I first got into adaptive surfing, and they have donated a seated board.
‘We’ve got some tandem boards, we’ve got new wetsuits coming, we’ve got helmets so, we’re going to be able to get more people who are even more limited involved.
‘We are looking forward to welcoming the girls from Karma Seas to join us to deliver some adapted surfing in Guernsey over the summer.’
Ms Green has previously trained with Paralympic gold medallist and prone surfer Ben Pritchard, and the whole Aqua Health team will join him on the visit to Wales.
Sophie Veron, who regularly trains with Aqua Health and Wellbeing, will also be ordering a new shaped board, sponsored by the Guernsey Lions Club, to enhance her surfing.
Miss Veron will compete in an international adaptive surfing competition at Fistral Beach in Newquay in July, using her new board. The event brings together adaptive surfers from across the world and include visually impaired, amputee, prone and kneeboard surfers.
‘I started surfing and three months later went to a national competition, it was super quick, throwing me in at the deep end, but it was great,’ she said.
‘You meet the best and the most amazing people with all different abilities. Everyone just literally gets in the water and the water just gives everyone this freedom, and everyone’s equal in the water.’
Ms Green was meant to be travelling to Australia to assist in delivering the ISA Adaptive Surfing Qualification, but travel disruption has stopped her going at this time and she is now likely to travel later this year.
Brittany Ferries and the Lions Club have also supported Aqua Health and Wellbeing with its upcoming trip to collect new equipment.
Providing adapted surfing sessions takes a strong team and Aqua Health is asking anyone interested in volunteering in their sessions to get in touch.
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