SURF therapy will be made available to children who would benefit from it, in a first-of-its-kind agreement with Cornwall Council.

The Wave Project has been providing surfing as a mental health intervention for 10 years, but now, the local authority has agreed it will make these services available to children across all its departments.

It means that professionals working with disabled children, family support workers, looked after children, child social workers, and school nurses can make a referral directly to the charity, and the council will fund these places if the charity does not have its own funds available through other sources, such as grants and donations

The approach fits with the NHS ‘social prescribing agenda, which encourages health professionals to prescribe activity such as walking or cycling to improve health.

Wave Project founder Joe Taylor said that it’s the first time that a major local authority has backed the provision of surf therapy across its entire children’s services directorate.

He said: ’We are grateful that Cornwall Council for having the vision to see how an activity like surfing can have positive mental health benefits on vulnerable children.

’Our hope is that this partnership will mean that surfing as therapy will be available to all children who need it.’

In 2019, the Wave Project became the first charity to pioneer Surfing on Prescription through GPs surgeries. This new agreement means that surf therapy will be available free of charge to any child in the county who requires it.