On a bright Autumnal morning, we took the buddies on a trip to try out paddle boarding and kayaking for the first time! It was lovely to be joined by our new Active US Ambassador (Buddy Scheme), Lucy Marsh.

We set off on a coach to Adur, a water sports centre in Shoreham and within 20 minutes we had arrived.  The cool wind did not deter the buddies’ excitement and once they had their wet suits on they were ready to be instructed! First up was paddle boarding, our bubbly instructor explained how to get to get onto the board, stand up and paddle – she made it look easy!

Picking up one board between two we set off down the bank and lined up along the jetty. One by one the buddies were off, but it wasn’t long before we heard a big splash, first one down. Once everyone was kneeling on the boards they begun to paddle against the wind, slowly they made it up the river before braving the stand up. Once one person did it, it gave confidence to the others to try standing up too. Remarkably they did it with ease and without falling into the water. The paddle back was so much easier as the wind carried them downstream, barely having to paddle at all.

It was time to try Kayaking which seemed a bit easier and the buddies took to it like ducks to water. It was great to see them all enjoying something new!