Paddling on through

through PADDLING ON Tucked away on the outskirts of Wadebridge, you’ll find a business focussed on supplying all you’ll need for a sporting experience on, or in, the water.

Imagine a beautiful blue ocean, waves gently breaking on one end of a golden sandy beach and building sandy beach and building to sweeping rollers at the other. It’s a bright spring the other. It’s a bright spring morning and you’re faced with a morning and you’re faced with a dilemma – to swim, to surf or to paddleboard? The choices seem endless. Whichever direction you decide to go they’ll all be better than the inertia that has marked our lives during the recent Covid lockdowns.

The benefi ts of cold water immersion have been demonstrated to help with mental and physical health – improved sleep, mindfulness, confi dence, the reduction of stress response, blood circulation and rheumatism.

However, unless you’re a superhero, you’ll need the correct attire or kit to get the full benefi ts from any of these activities. e it a simple pair of swimming shorts and rash vest, through to the most advanced fi breglass surfboard and everything else in between. This is where MAD Water Sports can help. The team here know their foils from their foamies, and it would be odd if they didn’t, having been surfi ng and swimming off the north Cornwall coast for the past 20 years, along with running a successful outdoor activity centre. Ironically it was the onset of the pandemic that galvanised them into creating a retail outlet.

They had to act uic ly as they saw the ta e up of their instructor led courses drop off a cliff as new rules came into place. So, in 2020 a new business began trading, tentatively at fi rst but as we emerged from the pandemic, the pace is picking up.

At their completely refurbished unit just outside Wadebridge you enter a spacious area replete with a new mezzanine level; decked out with a wide range of sustainable range of sustainable top uality surfboards, top uality surfboards, paddleboards, bodyboards paddleboards, bodyboards and a full range of paddles. There are also hydrofoils, wings, and foil boards, along with windsurfers, available to view and purchase in the shop. n the lower fl oor there are heaps of useful accessories, including uality wetsuits from several world renowned manufacturers, change robes and dry bags.

Very consciously they have managed to create a unique shopping experience, where the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. Help and grounded advice is always on hand but not to the point where you will feel pressured. esides selling an extensive range of products they are also aware of the provenance of these items. They strive to ensure that they are sourced and supplied from companies who are keen to reduce plastic in their packaging, develop articles manufactured to ensure a long lifespan and, by monitoring all processes, reduce their carbon footprint.

So, whether you just want to hit the sea for the occasional swim or to take it to the next level, we suggest you head to MAD Water Sports to tap into a wealth of knowledge and ensure you purchase the correct kit for your waterborne adventure. You won’t be disappointed.

MAD WATER SPORTS LTD

15 Dunveth Business Park, Wadebridge PL27 7FE 01208 814222 enquiries@ madwatersports.co.uk www.madwatersports.co.uk Find more like this: www.cornwall-living.co.uk

ëéABOVE You'll find a wealth of equipment for your next water adventure

TAKE THEwheel

Ever wondered what it would be like to get behind the ceramicist’s wheel?

At Sally Tully Ceramics Studio, Sally and Lee – who you may well recognise from their appearance on Channel 4’s The Great Pottery Throwdown – welcome visitors of all abilities to join them for fantastic ceramic experiences!

From their little piece of paradise – a spacious studio on Tregellast Barton Farm, the revered home of Roskillys ice cream – there are some beautiful walks, a small gallery and even a restaurant. It’s also only a fi ve minute drive from the beautiful harbour village of overac , or if you’re feeling fi t, a miute wal with fabulous views.

Offering a comprehensive range of one, two and three day courses, information on which can be found online, Lee and Sally are both throwers of pots in their own practice, with extensive experience of hand building. bove everything else, they love to make their classes fun, with many attendees booking back in and returning to do more – testament to the experience they offer visitors.

The pair bring very different backgrounds to the studio Lee was a full time community nurse, before applying to go on The Great Pottery Throwdown, while Sally was a course lead tutor on a .E. ccess rt and esign course in Plymouth before fi lling out that fateful form. What they share is a love for the medium of clay, and a passion for channelling their creativity into it. Sally specialises in alternative fi ring techni ues like Raku and, if at all possible, incorporates them into each two and three day course, giving you a taste of these intriguing methods. Each course hosts a maximum of eight students, with many only having six, depending on the project. Lee and Sally ensure safety guidelines are followed to the letter, asking students to take (and providing them with) lateral fl ow tests before allowing them entry to the studio.

On arrival, and whilst you wait for the test results, you are welcomed with breakfast before cracking on with the day. Each course is fun pac ed as a student, you’ll be given the opportunity to work on your own project, with Lee and Sally on hand to help you. By the end of the course, you’ll have made a beautiful pot and learned several pottery techni ues along the way, from construction methods to decorative styles. our pieces will then be bis ue fi red and glazed, before being forwarded to you via First Class post.

éABOVE Applying the finishing touches

ëINSET Sally and Lee

SALLY TULLY CERAMICS

01326 281062 www.sallytullyceramics.co.uk Find more like this: www.cornwall-living.co.uk