We're still collecting donations
On the 31st October 2024 we'd raised £1,140 with 32 supporters in 26 days. But as every pound matters, we're continuing to collect donations from supporters.
A learn-to-surf wellbeing programme supporting Scotland's Frontline Workers—NHS, Social Workers, Teachers, Emergency Services, & Military.
by Blue Lighthouse Surf CIC in Buckie, , United Kingdom
On the 31st October 2024 we'd raised £1,140 with 32 supporters in 26 days. But as every pound matters, we're continuing to collect donations from supporters.
Hi, we are Adam (a former police officer and surf school owner), Jonathan (a current serving police officer and wellbeing co-ordinator), Claire (an A&E nurse and surf instructor), and Maisie (a qualified teacher and paddleboard instructor).
Thank you for visiting our Crowdfunder page. Please read on to find out a little more about The Blue Lighthouse Project and how we aim to make a positive impact to health & wellbeing in our communities.
Blue Lighthouse is a project inspired by surf-based interventions across the world like the Surfwell project in Cornwall & Devon working with the Police and Operation Surf in California working with military veterans, to name just a couple.
There is a huge and growing evidence-base for these type of interventions and it's easy to see why:
While it might be a little chillier in Scotland, we have great surf and beautiful beaches, as well as thick winter wetsuits to keep us warm! We are also fortunate to have a growing community of organisations delivering surf-based interventions here in Scotland, including Groundswell Scotland and The Wave Project, as well as being the home of the world's first Surf Therapy PhD at Edinburgh Napier.
Unfortunately, the evidence shows that these types of interventions are very much needed. Here are some statistics on mental health in Scottish public services:
The Blue Lighthouse Project exists to provide tangible support for public sector workers' health & wellbeing, in turn providing a benefit to both the organisations they work for and the wider community which they serve.
Our surf program is an evidence-based intervention that we hope will deliver meaningful results for staff resilience and wellbeing, helping those serving in the public sector to carry out their roles at their best without sacrificing their health.
The programme will be free-of-charge for all participants, and in order to get the funding we need to deliver the programme sustainably, we need to evidence our positive impact.
Supported by the International Surf Therapy Organisation, we have put together a designed programme plan as well as pre and post program surveys focused on wellbeing and organisational indicators. This will help us to evidence through both quantitative and qualitative data the positive impact on our participants and the public sector organisations they work for.
Thanks to a partnership with Cullen's Surf School and generous gifts of equipment from dryrobe and Mystic, we already have all the equipment we need. We are fundraising exclusively to be able to offer funded places for those that would benefit from our programme.
Every single penny raised will be spent providing funded places for public sector workers, including:
We are planning to run a pilot programme in Cullen, Moray for two groups of 8 public sector workers over 2 sessions. This will allow us to gather the evidence we need to secure future funding and give the programme a sustainable future. We hope in the future to be able to offer this programme at beaches around Scotland.
We are on a mission to use surfing as a positive driver for the health and wellbeing of those working in the public sector and serving our communities in Scotland.
Thank you for taking the time to read about our project. Please have a browse of our rewards and ways you can support the programme on this Crowdfunder page.
Your kindness and generosity are hugely appreciated, and any and every donation helps to fund additional session places for public sector workers in our community. Thank you for your support.
This project offered rewards