SURFERS RAISE £10,OOO FOR TSUNAMI VICTIMS

Surf Relief Day , a day of national fundraising action for the UK surfing community, took place on Saturday with the main event in Newquay attracting a small army of pro-surfers, volunteers and supporters.

The day kicked off at 9am with a moving tribute to victims of the tsunami as twenty surfers paddled out at world-famous Fistral Beach to form a “Circle of Love” in the water. Surfers including Dave Manley, Chair of Tsunami Surf Relief UK (TSRUK), Phil Williams, Head of Christian Surfers and British & BPSA Champion Alan Stokes observed a minute’s silence along with those watching from the beach.

A colossal surf clothing sale, organized by Jason Ross of Sport & Save , was staged in a specially designed marquee provided by the Cornish Guardian newspaper. The marquee’s glazed back wall gave spectacular views of Fistral and ensured that bargain hunters didn’t miss any of the action in the water.

All the brand new clothing, footwear and wetsuits sold were donated for Surf Relief Day by major surf brands including Kangaroo Poo, Rip Curl, O’Neill, Gotcha and Airwalk . Fantastic bargains and cut price surfwear kept the sale busy throughout the day and raised over £7,000 of the total, with 100% of takings going straight into the TSRUK fund.

Britain and Cornwall’s top surfing talent was well represented, with Alan Stokes, Llewellyn Whittaker, Kay Holt, Lee Bartlett, Ben Skinner and Sarah Bentley all entering the fundraising contest and supporting the fundraising activities.

Thankfully, conditions in and out of the water improved overnight and the event began on a clear, bright Fistral morning with small but contestable waves. Alan Stokes took the Open title with Llewellyn Whittaker as runner up after a spectacularly close final in which Stokes produced some stunning moves to secure the crown. Kay Holt won the women’s section, Alex Winkworth the bodyboard and Ben Skinner grabbed top spot in the Funboard competition.

Dave Manley, Chairman of TSRUK , thanked supporters and volunteers at a packed presentation ceremony for making the event possible. He said: “This has been a fantastic day, the proceeds of which will make a real difference to lives of many people affected by the Tsunami disaster. I continue to be amazed by the enthusiasm and generosity of the surfing community in the UK to the victims of this disaster. But as the plight of those affected continues we will continue to raise money. This is the first step in a long journey and I hope this great event will be a springboard for others we have planned for the future.”

The final figure raised on the day was just over £10,000 and with more to be added from the previous week’s Tsunami Surfabout and Pit Pilot marathon , plus after parties and related events around the country, TSRUK look well on their way to achieving their fundraising target of £100,000 this year.