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30 years and still going strong
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Gas masked surfer - Drustan Ward shot by Howard Judd (RIP)
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30 up!
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Taking the case to the European Commission
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Houses of Parliament
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Turd surfing
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Hugo leading todays campaign
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Some geezer lending his support.
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The infamous inflatable turd
Happy birthday SAS. 30 years after the British surfing community stood up to fight against the sewage pollution, and won, SAS is still going strong fighting pollution, leading the fight against ocean pollution by plastics and motivating tens of thousand of people to go on beach cleans, educating on issue like global warming and generally going as hard and strong as it ever did.
From the start it was a movement. Forming in Porthtowan St Agnes support was soon offered from Langland, Brighton, the east coast, and on it went. At the time eco warriors were not widely revered by the conservative British public, and surfers were seen as bums, it was hostile territory but the public warmed to the message and the image of the gas masked surfer. Politicians and polluters were put on the back foot. SAS took the fight to the highest courts in the land, to the European Commission and Houses of Parliament all the while retaining a huge grass roots membership.
Today the challenges have changed but SAS lead the fight in the same corridors of power on ocean pollution, single use plastics and global warming. The support has grown. 47,000 people took part in last years SAS beach clean, campaigns like Return to offender are taking the fight to brands and the plastic free community project and school programmes influencing millions more.
It is an amazing story with too many highlights to list here. One day hopefully there will be a film.
Happy birthday SAS and many thanks to all the members, staff and directors and trustees over the years and to anyone who ever bought sticker, raised funds, or just turned to party at the Ball. You made the world a better place.
