SUrf Camp 2015.

It’s hard to believe that it’s a year since I sat here typing words about a seemingly hair-brained idea that birthed a new friendship and a commitment to launch the inaugural SUrf Camp back in summer 2014.

Twelve months on and the lure of adventure, coupled with a large dollop of providence, saw a hand-picked team of awesome volunteers and a bunch of amazing teenagers from across Scotland, the South of England and, even, Switzerland immerse themselves in the antics of SUrf Camp 2015.

We had 50% more campers than last year, which meant splitting the group into morning and afternoon surf sessions and simultaneously running a menu of activities back at camp.  I have a great selection of polaroid pictures in my mind of: an impromptu ceilidh; some dare-devil sand-dune surfing; an innovative home-made water slide; a crazily competitive game of girls against boys football with the biggest inflatable ball known to man; faces exhausted and crying with laughter on inflatable obstacle courses;  a large aerial art-attack project involving squirting paint from a zip-wire slide; exploring some trails on mountain-bikes; learning as Alasdair from Surfers Against Sewage presented about the problems of marine litter followed by everyone rolling up their shirt-sleeves only to be dumbfounded at the amount of micro-plastics we found on a, seemingly, clean beach.

Most of the teenagers hadn’t surfed before and it was awesome to watch the daily Go-Pro footage of how everyone gave it 110%.  Whilst the filming from the start of the week would be appropriately sound-tracked by “Wipeout!”, the confidence and ability of the group improved markedly by the day as the waves also got bigger. There were big smiles, slides, glides, hi-fives and a few impressive tricks in the “expression sessions”. Then, of course, there was a memorable coasteering session where people launched themselves off rocks in to the sea.

Personally, I took such delight in watching some of my friends at Coast 2 Coast surf school invest so personally and to offer such specific advice and encouragement to each individual.  It was really awesome, once again, to see people from different parts of my life coming together to help make something good happen.

The theme of the week was “I Am Here: Here Am I”.  There was a recognition that just because someone attends a Scripture Union holiday, it doesn’t mean they necessarily share the same experience or beliefs as some others on the camp.  With that in mind, our evening sessions considered stories from the bible involving water and people’s encounters with God at those times.  At first glance many of these stories sound like the childish things many of us associate with Sunday School involving the characters of: Noah; Moses; Johah; Jesus and; Peter.  The aim was to explore how we interpret those stories and to see what application there could be for life in our very different looking society today.  As well as exploring these ancient stories, most of the team leaders briefly shared something of their own stories too – some of events over many years, some of occurrences in recent days or weeks or months. Those stories were left to drift during the week for people to explore or dismiss.

We had small group times each evening where we chatted about life and encouraged a natural conversation about how the themes of the week were engaging with people and what they themselves thought. We were there to listen as much as to talk and I think those times were precious.

The week ended, as all such weeks should, with a ho-down late at night on the beach with a camp-fire blazing and sending embers and sparks skyward like our thoughts and hopes and fear and dreams and prayers.

It was so good to work in partnership and a huge thanks is due to everyone who got on-board.  As the Christian Surfers UK motto for 2015 reads, “Working together: achieving more”.

This little video edit prepared by JW ought to give you a flavour of things.

Till next year – stay stoked!

B.

 

Beyond Sight Film Screening.

We’re so stoked to be bringing Beyond Sight to Edinburgh. The film had its Scottish premiere at the UK Pro Tour in Thurso last October and went down really well with the competitors and spectators alike. It documents the incredible story of blind Brazilian Surfer, Derek Rabelo and his desire to get barrelled at Pipeline, Hawaii. The story captured the attention of a global audience and Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Laird Hamilton, Damien Hobgood and others all play way more than cameo parts in the journey.

The film will appeal to a far wider audience than just surfers and absolutely everyone is welcome. We are not charging an admission fee as such, but are asking that people make a donation on the way in. All monies raised will be gifted to The Wave Project Scotland for the incredible work they do in helping excluded children and teenagers grow in confidence and self-esteem through surfing. Jamie from the Wave Project will be able to share a little about his inspirational work before the film starts.

You can get a flavour of the film here:

Please come and join us and feel free to bring anyone else who you think may enjoy the event.

In the meantime, here’s a sneak peak of the venue we’ve booked. When did you last get to see pro-surfing and a story that does more than just restore your faith in humanity on such a big screen?

See you soon!

B.

SUrf Camp 2015’s Up!

Are you of secondary school age and longing for something to look forward to at the end of term?

Parents wanting a week of peace and quiet during the summer holidays?

Want to live life to the full and have a heap of fun?

Why don’t you just switch off your television set and go outside and do something less boring instead?

How about THIS?

Places are filling up. Book fast to avoid disappointment!

If you want to get a flavour of what last year’s SUrf Camp looked like, then there’s a write up here.

Book your place here.

SUrf’s UP!

B.

 

SUrf Camp retold.

I was asked to pen a brief article providing an overview of  SUrf Camp for SU Scotland’s @SU Magazine. Here it is:

B.

 

A guest post…

As I posted the other day, one of our crew who helped lead at SUrf Camp last summer decided to fundraise for SU by entering his first ever 10K at the Great Scottish Run last weekend.

Today, I received a little personal account of his experience. So, here it is in his own words:

“I’m going to try to write this without sounding cheesy or self-congratulatory but on Sunday I ran the Great Scottish Run 10k challenge and felt carried through each kilometre and counselled by the Holy Spirit in an hour and five minutes of my life that genuinely felt like my own personal worship event, with Rend Collective as my resident band and “The Art of Celebration”, the chosen set list.

I didn’t sleep at all well the night before and come 3 am we got our usual visitation from our son who wouldn’t just lie still but wriggled and squirmed well into the night. My alarm went off at 6 am and the thought of driving though to Glasgow to then run 10k didn’t seem like such a good idea anymore!

To add to that my well planned 10k challenge 8 week running plan had been put off the rails by a persistent dose of man flu and then a bout of eczema which meant that I hadn’t been able to exercise for 2 weeks. On Saturday 4 October I felt ok and tried to run 5k from my house to the beach and back and failed miserably but at least I had shaken off my cold and skin was looking much better. I decided that even if I walked the 10k I would do it to honour the people who had sponsored me.

So I reach for my bible, bleary eyed at around 6:15 after putting my alarm on snooze a couple of times and read this;

‘But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.’ Isaiah 40:31

I found it funny but then flippantly prayed that if that was the case God, I was going to ‘run and not grow weary!’ I decided not to set a time target but to just run and if I managed to complete the course without stopping then I would have achieved my goal.

As I waited at the starting line I read some of the t shirts of people around me and they were so humbling. ‘Running for daughter who has cancer’ to ‘Running for my baby with Leukaemia’ or ‘in memory of my Dad’ every person with a story of personal struggles and causes worth fighting for but each running the same race.

I hadn’t thought too much about what music I wanted to listen to on my mp3 player on the way round but standing there I just wanted to make this challenge all about Him and lift these people around me up. So Rend Collective was the music of choice.

Through each stage of the race there was a marker telling you how far you had run and for me a song of encouragement;

1K ‘The joy joy joy making me whole, though I’m broken, I am running Into Your arms of love’

2K ‘Burn like a star, Light a fire in our hearts’

3K. ‘In my wrestling and in my doubts, In my failures You won’t walk out, your great love will lead me through You are the peace in my troubled sea’.

4K. ‘You are the power in our veins, Our Lord, our God, We are more than conquerors, through Christ, You have overcome this world, this life!’

5K only half way! ‘It’s only in surrender that I’m free’ (at this stage my legs were beginning to ache and a slow song wasn’t what I needed but then came…)

6K. ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, What is coming, what is coming, Never-ending joy, never-failing love, You are coming, You are coming!’ (I had not ran further than 6k in my training so I was now running into the unknown)

7K. ‘Yeah, you lift me when I’m sinking, Like the swell of mighty oceans, the power of redemption, Yeah; it gives me wings to soar’!!!!!!!!!!!! COME ON!!

8K. ‘You’re not finished with me yet!’

9K. ‘Stronger than any weakness, You are my fortress!!’

10K ‘Boldly I approach Your throne, Blameless now I’m running home, By Your blood I come, Welcomed as Your own, Into the arms of majesty!!!’

At the end stretch I looked up and saw the Soul Surfers crew cheering me on, which make me appreciate just what a great wee community we have. I had achieved my goal of running without stopping but felt God had shown be so much more than that. At SUrf Camp I remember Stephen Jones had an amazing power point presentation which told us something like 100 facts about who God is, by the end of the talk everyone was just cheering! I felt like that on Sunday, when surrounded by people with genuine hurt and loss it put my problems into perspective, you tell the darkness just how powerful God is and if you run, you will not grow weary”.

C.

Run for it!

I’ve said it many times, but when we first started out with Soul Surfers five or so years ago, we had a bunch of ideas and little clue where they might lead to or what, if anything, would evolve. Much of the first year involved things being rubbed away as we returned to a blank sheet of paper and, in many ways, I find us in a time of transition again. Some deep friendships have been forged alongside many other cherished acquaintances. A few unexpected partnerships have emerged and continue to be cemented.

Today a few of us from Edinburgh filled up my car and headed over to catch up with a couple of the crew based over in Glasgow. We met on a sunny but crisp autumnal morning in Glasgow Green. We cheered on those taking part in the Great Scottish Run. It made me realise how many of those competing or taking part where doing it for a specific charity or loved one. How many untold stories were literally running before our eyes? We whooped particularly loudly for our very own SUrf CHamp, Craig, who had taken it upon himself to raise funds for Scripture Union after he and his wife and kids helped us in our inaugural SUrf Camp this past summer where we partnered with SU Scotland. A great effort for his first ever 10k – well, done that man!

 

The day provided time to chill and chat and catch up on what is going on in one another’s lives – the highs, the lows and the inbetweens. Smiles, laughter and frustrations and wrestles were all shared in the authenticity of friendship and community.

B.

Surf Camp’s Up!

If Soul Surfers is about anything, then it’s about partnership. Last October I received an unexpected email from a guy called Stephen who had been following the blog for several months. Funnily enough he first found out about us after enquiring about the possibility of hiring Davina the camper-van from the previous owner for his work with SU Scotland. It turned out that he had led SU’s ski and snowboard camps to Austria for several years and had the idea of developing a surf camp for teenagers. We arranged to meet up to explore things over some hot and spicy burritos. We got on like a house on fire and our conversation became fairly animated as we visualised the possibilities. Quickly we realised that between our respective contacts and passions we probably had the resources to give it a go…Why wouldn’t we want to try this thing?

It has been nothing short of a delight to discuss our idea with others and to witness friends from different circles of our lives share the enthusiasm. I love it when a plan comes together. This time we’ve even got the t-shirts to prove it.

So, a fortnight ago we launched our inaugural SUrf Camp. Ten teenagers from across Central Scotland had signed up and we had amassed a team of 11 leaders which included three family units who also brought their kids along. The aim of our week was to have a lot of fun and to explore the idea of living life to the full (John 10:10). After an evening of chilling and eating great food in a room decked out with inflatable palm trees, surf posters and Hawaiian lei it was time to introduce them to some of my personal surf heroes: Kelly Slater; Rob Machado; Cody Maverick, Chicken Joe and, of course, Big Z. Surf’s up! A fun DVD night seemed like the perfect way to round off our first evening at camp.

Sunday heralded in our first full day of activity. We were greeted by sunshine and couldn’t resist the lure of spending the morning on the beach which was a hop, skip and a jump from the camp. How beautiful to warm our feet in the sand, to gaze  out to sea and to share some thoughts and songs on a secluded beach.  Ruth then took us on a very creative and interactive tour as she re-told an ancient story and encouraged us to re-tread some ancient paths.

After lunch it was time to meet up with our friends at Coast 2 Coast Surf School for the teenagers’ first surf lesson.

The waves were a bit blown out and messy but they had a bit of punch to them. The team got stuck right into it and by the end of their first lesson, I was amazed to see most of the teenagers managing to get to their feet and catch waves. The stoke of shared experience rubbed off on the leaders too.

The next two days saw us greeted by bluebird skies and corduroy lines in the sea. We seemed to have scored the best of Scotland’s weather and waves. Another two great afternoons were spent under the watchful eye and encouragement of the team from Coast 2 Coast.

Our evenings were fairly chilled and we watched some great surf movies including: Surf’s Up; Soul Surfer; and Chasing Mavericks.  All of those are films that surfers and non-surfers alike would enjoy and each tackle real life issues and raise interesting questions. Naturally, those also inspired some interesting conversation.

I have taken such encouragement from the willingness of other individuals and organisations to also get involved in SUrf Camp. Mid week we had a visit from local Surfers Against Sewage rep, Alasdair. He helpfully explained about the issues associated with marine litter and the notion of conSURFation. There were plenty of practical suggestions about how we can make a difference individually and collectively.

We followed that with a beach clean and were dumbfounded to have gathered 124.8 kg of litter in little more than an hour!

The waves had dropped a bit by Wednesday afternoon, the sky was more brooding and the water felt colder to begin with. The wind was offshore and there was such a commotion in the ocean as all of the group managed to ride waves back to land. The whooping, hollering, drumming on surfboards and general enthusiasm created such a good vibe in the sea. The smiles and waves shared were euphoric – so much so in fact that a couple of the surf instructors themselves commented on the attitude and camaraderie amongst the group and how infectious that was throughout the week.

On Wednesday night we were able to present a Scottish preview of up and coming surf film The Perfect Wave. A good friend of mine works for the film’s media distributor and they were keen to get some impartial feedback ahead of looking at how they roll out screenings later in the year.  Popcorn and cake was munched as Clint Eastwood’s son, Scott, re-enacted a modern-day re-telling of Ian McCormack’s remarkable true life surfari story.

With the waves all but disappearing on Thursday, the guys from Coast 2 Coast took the team on a whole new adventure…coasteering. That basically involved them jumping from greater and greater heights off the rocks and into the sea. Whilst I had personally retreated into the sanctuary of Davina the camper-van for the afternoon to prepare my thoughts for an evening talk, I was once again heartened by the stories of the fun that had been shared and the way the teenagers had all helped one another to overcome their fears.

The week wasn’t just about surfing.  We had plenty of chill time and the most amazing food and cake prepared by Suzi.  It even included four birthday cakes, one of which was a replica of Davina the camper-van.

It was a joy to be able to let others experience Davina first hand. We let the teenagers use Davina as a space to meet in as small groups and to have some quiet time. We also rotated who got to travel in her to the beach each day and to tell of her own story and how we came to hold the keys. You can read about that here.

We  embarked upon a host of other fun activities during the week too. These included: obstacle courses; zip wires; beach frisbee; nuke ’em ball; flume races in the local swimming pool; BMX races and fun on a giant inflatable structure.

In addition to the various surf movies we enjoyed during the week, we also used the On The Rocks series of surf DVD resources produced by CS South Africa/SonSurf to explore issues of faith. Those provided a natural springboard to chat at whatever level the teenagers wanted to.

No camp would be complete without a campfire and sing-song on the last night. So, after an awards ceremony, what started off in tranquility morphed into a riotous medley of songs old and new accompanied by enthusiastic dancing and a glow stick party.

As the fire began to die thoughts were gathered, ukuleles and percussion dug out and a reflective chorus arose as we enjoyed a few moments of late night reflection.

I turned to see this on the sand…

Friday morning involved sleepy heads and messy bedrooms needing to be tidied up.  We still found time for a quick jaunt to the beach where we discovered the smoldering relics of the previous night’s fire.  With a little prodding and blowing, the embers caught light again and we sang one last song and shared short thoughts and prayers as the week drew to its natural close.

As I pause to reflect upon things, I realise afresh that this is not something we deliberately set out to do. Let’s face it – we wouldn’t have had a clue how to run a surf camp.  As has so often been the case with our stories, a conversation was started and an idea ignited that became an opportunity worth pursuing.  I am so grateful to Stephen for having made contact last October and I’m somewhat blown away by how far we have come in such a short space of time.  SU have over 70 years experience of running activity camps. They had the know-how, the resources, the procedures, protocol and insurance to ensure that we could concentrate on making it happen and trying to make it as much fun as possible.  Stephen is a hugely gifted leader with a sharp sense of humour and a great means of creating a very relaxed atmosphere and chilled-out vibe without neglecting all that needs to happen behind the scenes.  He quickly established great relationships with the campers and fellow leaders alike. His input into the daily sessions and quiet times was invaluable and he is a very natural and engaging communicator. It has been a privilege to get to know him and his family these past few months and to assist him in running SUrf Camp.

All in all, it was an amazing week.  I want to give a huge shout out to the teenagers that came and made it so much fun.  I have found myself inspired by their willingness to throw themselves into a week dedicated to a pursuit which most of them had never tried before.  It’s made me wonder whether there could be the possibility of running shorter SUrf camp weekends in the future too? A huge debt is owed to all of the leaders who sacrificed a week of annual leave and paid their way to help make this happen.  Their willingness to do so much behind the scenes demonstrated servanthood.  Also, a big “thank you” to Scripture Union for having the faith to let us try this out and to Christian Surfers UK for supporting us and donating a Surfers’ Bible to each of the teenagers.  Thanks also to Central for endorsing the camp. We hope that we have honoured you all in the camp we have delivered.  Last, but by no means least, a huge thanks to Coast 2 Coast for bringing all of their expertise and investing in the teenagers and encouraging them.  We literally couldn’t have done it without you guys and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. The evaluation forms and feedback from the campers have been a joy to read. What a blast!

Wanna do it all over again next year?

B.

 

Sunshine, greener grass and sandy feet.

With it having been the first Sunday of the month, a bunch of us were doing what we usually do – carving out some time and space and heading to the coast.  There’s always an open invite, so vehicles left various Scottish towns and cities with people car-sharing and rendezvousing at Belhaven Bay.  The weather predictions had been a bit dodgy during the week, but sun-shine and a warm 19 degrees welcomed us.  Picnics were unwrapped and food and stories shared amongst friends and friends of friends, quite a few of whom hadn’t met before.   Whilst I was simply caught up in conversation at the time, looking at this photo now makes me ponder how beautiful it is to take the things that are authentic about friendship and community and to plant those out in the open rather than behind the confines of buildings…

Whilst days like these normally involve sandy toes or muddy footwear, the picture below that my wife took on her phone was a truer reflection of much of this Sunday.  It’s funny how often the grass can seem greener elsewhere.  I caught up with a friend who runs the local surf school.  He was commenting on what a beautiful day it had been to be running surf lessons and, yet, how easy it was to feel jealous of the other Dads who he could see simply enjoying the weather with their kids.  Whilst he had been out sharing the stoke of surfing it came at the cost of sacrificing another chunk of a weekend where he was absent from his own family -“Not that I can complain”, he said with a big smile.

I smiled back and thought about how I used to feel so conflicted on these days.  There would be a big part of me itching to check the wave forecast and to be out in the sea any time we headed to the beach as a family.  I knew that the waves would be fairly mellow and nice for a lush little longboard session this weekend, but I had deliberately left my gear at home in order to ensure that I wasn’t absent or, more likely, present with friends whilst my mind was somewhere else out in the water.  I’d made a mental gear-change in my head and had determined that this day was about spending time with these people – whoever it was who turned up.  The great thing was that I had no inner wrestling – I just enjoyed hanging out, seeing where conversation took us and recognising that there would be other days in which to surf.  Simple!

On strolling back to the play park, I was greeted with the sight below.  I found myself thinking…You know what?  Life is full of obstacles, but if you haven’t got folks around you and the ability to have fun along the way – well that could be a fairly sad and empty picture.  I want to live my life out loud and I want to do that with a host of other people. You can read so many theories of how to build community and do life together.  You can talk about a host of ideas.  Sometimes you just need to get on and simply do it and see who’s keeping pace, who jumps onboard and who you bump into on the way.

A number of those who gathered are involved in our inaugural SUrf Camp in a month’s time.  We packed up a little convoy and headed off to Scoughall to check out the facilities and to begin to dream and imagine how all of our ideas might actually come to be.  All of a sudden it felt very real.  The kids scampered off to play on the beach and splash in the waves.

…and it would seem that angels were present…

With four weeks to go, Davina the camper-van was parked up awaiting her impending adventure down another road as yet un-travelled.  Next stop, SUrf Camp!

I couldn’t believe that we rocked up back at our house over 7 hours after we had left.  Time flies when you’re having fun!

B.

Soul Sunday – 1st June.

We’ll be taking Davina the camper-van down to Belhaven Bay by Dunbar on Sunday afternoon.  Consider this blog post an open invitation to come and join us.  We plan to be in the John Muir Country Park car park (the one by East Links Farm) from 2pm.

The aim is simply to carve out some time to chill out.  Some of us may take a walk across the salt marsh to the beach (bring appropriate footwear) or we may hang out at the activity play-park.  The surf forecast looks fairly small, but there may be a longboard-able wave for those who want to get wet…

If you follow this blog, or know something of the Soul Surfers story, then you may be aware that some of us are assisting with a new SUrf camp in a few week’s time in partnership with SU, CSUK and Coast 2 Coast Surf School.  With that in mind, a group of us will probably head over to the Camp base at Scoughall near North Berwick at some point in the afternoon to scope it out.

Feel free to bring a smile, a conversation, and some food to share on Sunday.

Maybe see you there!

B.

SUrf Camp.

One of the constant themes running throughout Soul Surfers’ stories over the past four or five years has been that of “partnership”.  Sometimes this has simply involved championing something already in place or trying to raise the profile of a cause that needs supported.  In many cases this  has led to friendships being formed through mutual interest or shared passions.  Most of those have been for the long-term.

I recently wrote about a new and exciting partnership we have forged with SU.  You can read about it by clicking here.

I am delighted, therefore, to announce that booking is now open on-line for the inaugural SUrf Camp to be held near North Berwick between 28th June and 5th July 2014.  If you know of any secondary school kids who would love a week of adventuring with beach related activities including five day’s of surf lessons and exploring what it might look like to live life to the full, then you might want to consider directing them or their parents/guardians to this.  Spaces are limited to 10 boys and 10 girls.

All the info can be found by clicking here.

I may be biased, but, I think this could be pretty awesome!

B.