Chelmarsh Sailing Club is celebrating an unexpected boost this summer after seeing Stand-Up Paddle-boarding (SUP) soar at the club. The club, situated on the Chelmarsh Reservoir near Bridgnorth, has so delivered Introduction to SUP courses to more than 200 people and had over 30 people join as new members this year.
After seeing examples of other sailing clubs where SUPing had been a success, Chelmarsh wanted to give it a go. Thanks to a Sport England Small Grants award with their application angled on opening the reservoir to a different demographic, the club invested in 10 SUP boards to deliver courses while the club’s vice commodore, David Partridge, trained as a SUP instructor himself.
David said, “As a club we are very aware of staying relevant in a world where people’s leisure time is so precious. Like many clubs, we were finding people are looking for more social, flexible and less structured leisure activities.”
For more information about Chelmarsh SC, visit chelmarshsailing.org.uk.
