Five of Britain’s top professional surfers have signed up to be Surf Ambassadors for the National Trust, supporting the conservation work carried out by the charity in the surfers’ playgrounds along the Devon and Cornwall coast.
Robyn Davies, National Trust Surf Project Co-ordinator and herself five times British Women’s Champion, said:
'Protecting the environment is important to most surfers and these guys jumped at the chance to say it more publicly. Having the support of these five Surf Ambassadors is great news and they‘ll help tell the story of the National Trust’s work on the coast and what it means to them as year-round users of the sea.'
© Ben Selway
As well as riding with the National Trust oak leaf on their boards, each ambassador will champion the work of the National Trust at the coast through school visits and surf sessions encouraging people of all ages to get into the water.
The three men and two women are all at the top of their game and have a deep passion for preserving the coast they know so well in Devon and Cornwall. More than a third (370 miles) of the coastline in Devon and Cornwall is managed by the Trust including many of the best surfing beaches.
The five ambassadors, who are all volunteering their time for free, are:
Alan Stokes – The British number One. Alan lives near Newquay but prefers the natural wilderness of the National Trust’s Crantock beach to surf away from the crowds.
Celine Gehert – Celine coaches the British women’s surf team, competing internationally in the world games against 80 other surfing nations. Crantock is her favourite UK surf spot with its wild beauty and calm.
Daniel ‘Mole’ Joel – One of Britain’s best Big Wave surfers, Daniel searches for the biggest, most dangerous waves in Britain and abroad to really push the limits of his technical skills. Mole has grown up and trains around the rugged cliff line of the Lizard and Porthleven, both of which are managed by the National Trust.
Jayce Robinson – At just 19, Jayce has been hailed as ‘the next big thing in British surfing’ and has grown up learning to surf in the sea around Godrevy where the National Trust work to conserve some of the best sand dune habitats in the country.
Kathleen Spears – A regular on the English surf team, competing in the European championships, Kathleen grew up in North Devon around the National Trust’s Baggy Point and values the fact that her home break at Croyde bay remains relatively undeveloped thanks to the Trust.
The ambassadors will run special eco-surf academies with National Trust wardens, spending the morning carrying out conservation work on the dunes, cliffs and heathlands overlooking the water, and the afternoon appreciating their hard work from the sea.
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