British surfer, social entrepreneur and the founder of the world's first inland surfing lake, shares his personal journey of entrepreneurship – and the impact surfing has made on his health. BDAS welcomes Bristol entrepreneur, Nick Hounsfield, Founder of the first inland surfing destination in the UK. We hear about the personal journey that led Nick to create 'The Wave', a 26-million litre artificial wave pool powered by solar energy, that has supported 400,000 wave chasers and para-surfers in regular surf sessions since its opening in 2019. A story of passion for water, incredible determination, a unique meeting of nature and technology, and the increasing evidence of the real power of blue health. 

Genres/related topics: Blue health; water therapy; social prescribing; surfing; engineering; environment; community; entrepreneurship; Bristol.

Who this would appeal to: UWE Staff; UWE Students/Alumni; Bristol audience at large.

The event is free and includes a free drinks reception, exhibition and book sales at its end.

Nick is the founder of The Wave - a 'slice of the ocean' in a field in Bristol, where anyone and everyone can surf all year round. It brings the physical and mental health benefits of water, waves and nature to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities - from a child stepping on a board for the first time, to a professional training for the Olympics.

The project was 10 years in the making and Nick’s journey from osteopath with £500 and a vision, to making it a £35 million reality, is an inspiring tale of grit and resilience.

Nick is on the board of Surfing England and has been particularly involved in supporting and growing the profile of the para-surfing community.

This resulted in the English team winning a record number of medals at the World Adaptive Surf Championships and The Wave hosting the English Adaptive Surfing Open competition. Nick was also part of the prestigious UK Sport International Leadership Programme.

Please find the link to all of the UWE BDAS assets created to advertise the event, in various formats, for you to choose from here. There are some additional images from The Wave's Media Pack here. I have also attached a fuller blurb, including Nick Hounsfield's bio to this email should it be useful.