The Wave Project begins surf-therapy pilot for anxious children

Poppy Allen (left) said surfing made life "feel less scary"

Children in the greater Bristol area who suffer from poor mental health will be able to try surf therapy on prescription from their GP.

A pilot project is starting between the inland surfing lake The Wave and The Wave Project which takes children aged eight to 18 on its programme.

Wave Project founder Joe Taylor said the sessions are designed to build confidence, self-esteem and resilience.

Poppy Allen, 11, said surfing therapy had made "life feel less scary."

The sessions were first made available on prescription in May 2019 for children in Devon and Cornwall after a pilot project funded by the NHS.

They took place at the Wave Project in Cornwall which was started 10 years ago but this is the first time the service has been offered at an inland site.

In 2018 an independent report found the courses offered in Cornwall "consistently improved the wellbeing of young people" and "had a lasting, positive impact."

Poppy, from Cornwall, was signed up to the six-week surf therapy programme two years ago by her teacher.

She said: "I was suffering from huge anxiety.

"I didn't have any confidence or self esteem and felt really sad.

"Surfing really has saved me in so many ways. I've got my smile back.

"I have learnt lots of techniques to stay calm and when I'm feeling anxious I think of how I feel when I'm on my board."

Charlotte Banfield, who joined the Wave Project when she was 12, said she had been sceptical when she started surf therapy but it had "changed her life".

Now 21, she is a para-athlete and is currently competing at the International Adaptive World Championships in California.

Wave Project founder and CEO Joe Taylor said the Bristol project was the culmination of years of planning between him and Nick Hounsfield, the founder of The Wave.

"It is a game changer to be able to offer surf therapy to children in an inland setting," he said.

Mental health charity Mind said being active and being outside could be as effective in treating moderate to mild anxiety and depression as some anti-depressants.

A spokeswoman said: "The additional benefits of exercising outside could be down to increased social contact, which can reduce loneliness and boost self-esteem; and being surrounded by nature, especially water, which can boost your mood."