The Board Drive
We often pipe on about the strength of the UK surf community, how it is connected, grounded and in many ways unique, but here within lays the proof.
‘The Board Drive’ is a story about how one surfboard from a shed in Newquay snowballed into a national campaign to get surfboards sent across the world to children living in tough and challenging environments in South Africa and Mozambique.
When Pete Burnett contacted his mate Brad about donating a board in his shed to a good cause, neither had any idea what was about to kick off. A social media spot led to hundreds of surfers coming forward with similar boards they wanted to see put to good use. And the problem of transporting he boards to SA came up Down the Line surf shop in Cornwall stepped in to help.
Well done Pete, Brad, all who donated and got involved, FCS, Surfers Not Street Children, and Down The Line. Great effort!
The Surfers Not Street Children model fuses surfing, mentorship and care and has dedicated local teams that include social workers, carers, lifeguards, surf coaches and administrators. The program has transformed the lives of many children with an impressive portion of participants going from ‘street children’ to becoming coffee baristas, lifesavers, surf shop staff, restauranteurs, surf coaches and even pro surfers.
