SCOTLAND’S ONLY AUTISM specific surf school, the Moray-based ‘Riding High’, has revealed that they are increasing their lessons to anyone with any disability.
Riding High has been operating regular surf lessons on Lossiemouth beach for those with Autism for 18 months – a service that has been widely praised around the UK.
However, Glynn Morris, the Chief Executive of Friendly Access, has said they have long believed that surfing should be available to everyone, regardless of their disability – and that is why they have will launch later this year ‘surfABLE Scotland’, a project under Friendly Access.
Glynn said: “We will be the only adaptive surf school in Scotland and we are fundraising like crazy to increase our adaptive surf equipment, which needs to be custom-made.
“For anyone seeking adventure, surfing is right up there – so I would encourage anyone who maybe has worries about the issues to come down to a session. We do not push individuals – we allow them to find their own boundaries.
“It is just such a fantastic thing to do and when you look at everyone coming back onto the beach after a session of surfing, they might have been strangers – but suddenly they have a shared interest. That social interaction is vital especially in the world of Autism and it is a fantastic thing.”
Kevin Anderson from Riding High added: “Facilitating Scotland’s only autism surf school is great, however, it shouldn’t be autism only.
“We had set a vision of becoming a fully inclusive surf school – now we are one step closer to making this project a reality. This year SurfABLE Scotland will be Scotland’s only adaptive surf school inclusive to everyone regardless of disability or condition.
“At the moment our surf school makes surfing accessible to those with hidden disabilities – we will need more custom made specialist equipment to cater for those with physical disabilities and mobility difficulties.
“For that we are actively fundraising as fast as we can and would like to ask anyone who is thinking of a charity to support to please spare keep in mind Friendly Access, home for ‘surfABLE Scotland’.
For more information on Riding High visit their insideMoray Partner’s page or Friendly Access on Facebook.