The Poole Inclusive Paddleboarding Experience
This project will use paddleboarding to enhance and enrich the physical and mental well-being of people living with a range of disabilities, long-term health conditions and those experiencing mental ill-health. The project will be based at South Coast Adventures, a kayaking and paddleboarding centre in Hamworthy, overlooking Poole harbour and only 2 miles away from Poole town centre. The centre has accessible changing facilities and numerous accessible launch sites and offers Clients the opportunity to experience structured and progressive sessions in an environment that is supportive, welcoming and inclusive.
The project will be managed by Will Behenna who sustained a spinal injury in 1988. This never impacted his spirit of adventure and he has been developing and delivering inclusive outdoor activity ever since. To make this programme fully accessible he has developed and built a range of revolutionary new seats and kneeling supports that have been produced specifically to support paddleboarders who are unable to, or have difficulty standing on a paddleboard. Alongside this, participants will also have access to a range of different types of paddles and paddleboards as well as adaptations for those with limited hand function.
The Experience
- Participants will be offered 5 x 2hr sessions, delivered by qualified and experienced paddleboard instructors
- Participants will sign up through a booking system which will highlight their experience, medical details and expectations
- Risk assessments will be done to ensure paddleboarding sessions can be adapted for individual participants
- Due to the nature of participants, the ratio will be 1:4, however one-to-one sessions will be available when appropriate
- During each session, participants will have access to appropriate clothing, buoyancy aids and paddleboarding equipment
- The first three sessions will involve learning water safety skills (including self-rescue), basic paddleboarding skills and building confidence on the water
- The two remaining sessions will be led by the participant. This might involve longer paddles, trips to other parts of Poole Harbour or other paddleboarding locations in Dorset
- The five steps to well-being will play a pivotal role in enabling clients to be active, connected with each other, mindful, learning and applying new skills and helping and supporting each other
- Participants will be asked to pay £10 towards their sessions (concessions will be made available) and given the opportunity to make a donation at the end of their five sessions, to support future new participants
Monitoring and evaluation
Participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire before their first session to assess their current level of activity and physical and emotional well-being. This will be completed at the end of the five sessions to identify progress. After each session clients will be guided towards an app where they can log the impact of the session in their 5 strands of well being.
Individuals will also be invited to participate in a video interview to capture the difference the project has made to their lives. This will be combined with footage of the clients’ paddleboarding to help promote the concept of inclusive paddleboarding.
Sustainability
Throughout each block of five sessions, participants will be encouraged to think about how they can continue paddleboarding. They will be signposted towards:
– community sessions on Tuesday/Thursday evenings, alongside a calendar of other events
– individual/group sessions with instructors from South Coast Adventures
– independent paddleboarding
– wider paddleboarding opportunities within the BCP and Dorset area including; Facebook groups; clubs and instructors who offer regular paddleboarding opportunities
Next steps
If you or your organisation have clients with a disability, long-term health condition or experiencing mental ill-health and would like to take part, please get in contact.
