Unit 11 Longrock Industrial Estate Penzance United Kingdom TR20 8HE
01736 365645
Forces Discount: 25% discount on Armed Forces Family Ocean Therapy with Surfaction. e-mail [email protected] for details.
Surf Action was established in Cornwall in 2009 and is now a registered Charity (number 1140191). An award winning and pioneering project, Surf Action aims to promote and protect the physical and psychological wellbeing of serving and former serving members of the armed forces and the blue-light emergency services and their families who are living with physical and/or psychological difficulties as a result of their service and to assist them into making the transition into civilian life, in particular but not exclusively, by:
• Introducing them to surfing, high intensity water sports and involving them in peer group activities.
• Providing access to support, guidance, signposting and education.
• Providing access to information and peer support relationships for their families.
• Engaging them in various projects within communities.
By making use of the stunning coastal environment and offering holistic support which takes into account the practical, social and psychological difficulties which some service-users can experience, we do not seek to replicate the valuable work carried out by existing military and civilian organisations and charities, but to complement, signpost to, and work with them to fill the gaps identified by the service-users who come to us. Published PhD research recently carried out with Loughborough University has lent support to the Surf Action model and significantly extended previous knowledge on physical activity, military veterans and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by highlighting how nature-based physical activity , encapsulated in the conceptual notion of the “Blue and Green Gyms” can significantly promote well-being among military veterans and other service-users.
Surf Action is the only organisation providing evidence-based ocean therapy to support the mental health and wellbeing of serving military, veterans and their families in the UK.
Since being founded Surf Action has also championed social inclusion and cohesion between the military, veteran and civilian communities. It has sought to help individuals, families and communities by providing educational information as a tool with which to empower them to make positive changes in their lives and communities.