Photo: The Wave UK/Surf_Shot
After a fairly lengthy voyage across the stormy seas of the planning process, The Wave: Bristol has secured a planning approval from South Gloucestershire Council.
We (The Wave UK) have been planning to build a Wavegarden lake on the outskirts of Bristol, UK for the last few years. The intention is to get more people from the inner cities outdoors. If we can get them into water and into nature, we can inspire a healthier lifestyle. We all know the buzz and the self satisfied glow we get from a few hours of surfing. It’s now something we can share with kids and adults from landlocked places.
This will never replace the ocean and the soulful nurturing that the oceanic environment creates. Although taking something totally artificial like a wave lake and using it as a positive tool for genuine needs is very exciting.
The UK is a great place to live, but we are not blessed with the most consistent waves. When it’s on, it can be epic, but sadly this is a rare occurrence, and for some reason, only seems to happen on a work day. This makes it very hard for our grass roots surfers to get really good. Wavegarden waves will provide the quality and consistency to launch our young and future talent onto a bigger stage. High performance training at the push of a button is now possible!
The Wave ambassador Alan Stokes, stoked out. Photo: The Wave UK/Surf_Shot
What the UK does have is a very solid surf culture with many companies and organizations doing their best to make a positive impact on the industry and on wider society. Surfing is now used to sell everything; it’s a marketing dream. What we want to do is to use that power to make a positive change to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. By creating a hub for innovative thinking, products and people, we can make an impact on the way people relate to each other, nature and themselves.
Eventually, The Wave UK is planning to have several of these facilities. While adhering to their maintaining their financial, social, and environmental impacts, they want to bring surfing, education and nature to people of all ages, backgrounds,
The Wave UK are planning several of these facilities to bring surfing, education and nature to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. They have a strict adherence to their DNA of triple bottom line sustainability (balancing financial, social and environmental profits). The Wave: Bristol will be pushing 1.9m waves every minute. The waves will vary in height as they travel down the length of the lake, creating waves for people of all abilities.
It’s a very exciting journey we are on and are surrounded by some great people and great organisations in the UK to help and inspire us. SAS, The Wave Project, and Finisterre, just to name a few. You are welcome to join our journey to see this pipe dream become a reality. It’s an epic project with some great stories along the way.
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