As part of our ‘Developing People’ CSR programme TMR is glad to be supporting Pellennig Cyf Surf Club to deliver surf lessons & environmental volunteering to young people on the isle of Anglesey, North Wales. As a business since our inception we have supported ocean-related activities and causes that provide opportunities for personal development. Examples of these being our ongoing support for the Future Pros initiative with the British Wavesailing Association, and our ongoing sponsorship of two-time ISA Parasurfing World Champion Llywelyn Williams. This, combined with our staff’s desire to tackle ocean plastic pollution, made Pellennig an ideal partner as they look to develop young people on Anglesey’s love for the ocean through surfing.

Anglesey is an island with stunning natural beauty that lies off the north-west coast of Wales and is bordered by the Irish Sea and separated from the mainland by the Menai Straits. The island has a resident population of 68,900 and receives a huge number of tourists, particularly in the summer months, who flock to the island to enjoy the wealth of outdoor activities the island offers. Despite the island being a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts, there are very often access and participation barriers
that prevent young, local residents to participate. This is shown starkly by figures published by Public Health Wales in 2015 that showed Anglesey had the highest proportion of overweight or obese children in the whole of Wales with a total of
32.4% of four and five-year-olds categorised as overweight or obese on Anglesey.

This, combined with Anglesey also having areas of economic deprivation, has contributed to local young people not having the opportunity to fall in love with ocean activities and the physical and mental benefits these bring.

To tackle this issue Pellennig plan to deliver 1200 individual surf lessons of two hours each as well as a minimum of one hour of environmental volunteering to young people on Anglesey. They will do this through connecting with schools, youth
groups and other youth focussed organisations to ensure local children are able to access the opportunities on offer. The project aims to facilitate young people to fall in love with water sports, the ocean and be lifelong practitioners, looking after the environment and staying healthy by living healthier lives.

As well as the Developing People aspect of our CSR strategy we are also committed to Environmental Protection, and by partnering with impactful environmental partners on Anglesey, Pellennig will also be able to deliver educational volunteering for all young people who take part in a surf lesson. Pellennig’s desire to develop young people’s passion to surf beyond a one-off lesson goes hand in hand with environmental protection as we believe that those who love something want to protect it and so fostering this emotional tie brings with it environmental benefits in the short and long run.

We are excited to see how the first year of the project will unfold and will be reporting back on Pellennig’s journey here in the coming months.