The close-knit South Tyneside veterans surf club combining nature with friendship for ex-forces personnel

A surf club for veterans runs every Sunday at Sandhaven Beach in South Tyneside.

Thanks to an array of donors, most recently the Veterans’ Foundation, and with the help of South Shields Surf School, it's completely free.

Sea Company was started by Matt Blair, who was in the Parachute Regiment for nine years. He got hooked on surfing after moving to the North East in 2018 and wanted to share the experience with fellow veterans.

Sea Company’s Matt Blair

Matt said: “We're all sort of mates. We come down, have a bit of a surf. As you can see, we've got the beach fire on, get some brews, a bit of food.

“The difference as well, before and after, sometimes you come down and you're not in the best mood or whatever. You have a surf, have a chat with the guys. It's really exposure to nature and to all the benefits of the water.”

Veteran Andrew Marshall

Veteran Andrew Marshall said: “I was based mainly down in Cornwall and I used to surf when I was down there. When I came back out of the Navy, I came up and I did surf when I came out but it gradually petered off as winters got colder compared to Cornwall. I got a bit less eager to get in on the cold water.

“Then I had a couple of health problems. I had a stroke and I also had a heart problem, so that really kind of knocked the problem of going in by myself surfing. So I hadn't surfed for a good few years when Matt came because one of my fears was that I was going to go in the water and something was going to happen to us. So when Matt came along and said that he was going to have a surf club going for veterans, I thought I'll go along and see what it's like and I've been here ever since.”

“Apart from the actual surfing, there's a good community.”

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