Catching up with the founders of Bristol’s booming bodyboard club
Below: Shots & videos of the BBC crew on recent trips and weekends.
As we approach another anniversary for the Bristol Bodyboarders Club, we wanted to take a moment to catch up with some of its founding members to see what’s been happening with the Pond Crew and what exciting plans they have for the year ahead.
The club now boasts over 140 members — a true testament to the hard work and dedication of the committee. What started as a simple conversation between cousins Grant Britton (AKA Ken) and Paul ‘Bones’ Jones on a drive home from The Wave, where they discussed the lack of bodyboarders in the Bristol area and how fantastic it would be to have more to surf with, has since grown into the largest bodyboarding club in the UK in just four years.
As the club continues to grow, its focus remains on promoting bodyboarding across the UK, educating non-bodyboarders about the sport, and fostering a community of like-minded individuals all whilst sharing smiles and laughs along the way. Members benefit from exclusive invites to events, discounts with some of the UK’s top bodyboarding brands, and full Surfing England membership and insurance.
The club is fortunate to have such a strong group of volunteers running the show, but Jonny Elliott and Grant Britton truly stand out as two of the hardest-working committee members, and they’re our go-to contacts for the Brizzle Crew.
Fact File:
- The club formed in 2021 and is now the biggest club in the UK
- With over 140 members the club members spread across the UK and as far away as Australia
- Members benefit from exclusive discounts from leading UK bodyboarding companies Includes membership to Surfing England including insurances for surfing
- The club holds meets most months at The Wave, Bristol and promotes progression through their “Shredder of the session” awards
- The club recently bought helmets for the youngsters in the club, to help them with their progression and push boundaries
- Bodyboard Holidays have been supporting the club since the beginning and now work together to create bespoke events for club members and beyond.
BBH: Thanks for joining us, gents. What an epic year it has been for the club! Membership seems to have soared, making you the largest club in the UK now. You boys and the rest of the committee must be doing something right. What do you think is making the club so successful?
Ken: I’m not sure if it’s something we’re doing right or different to others so to speak but I think it shows the popularity resurgence within the sport and possibly demand for other clubs to start or go down a similar route in becoming an affiliated club with a governing body like Surfing England or the Welsh Surfing Federation for example.
BBH: Well, give credit where it’s due—we know the free time you must be giving to the club to make things work. Are you getting plenty of time to bodyboard yourself?
Jon: Yeh, I’ve been getting my fair share. I try to surf in the ocean when the forecast is decent, but I can normally be found on a barrel session most weeks at the wave.
Ken: Not this winter… with other commitments I have just not found as much time as I’d like to get in. I missed the majority of the good swell surges through the winter but it’s always great to see members of the club hit the coast or pond to reap the spoils!
BBH: We’ve had the pleasure of collaborating on some events with you over the past year. We’ve hooked up on club meets at The Wave and delivered coaching sessions to your members. We also invited you to an exclusive freesurf session with bodyboarding legend Jeff Hubbard. How do you think this has benefited the level of bodyboarding amongst the members?
"The coaching sessions have become super popular with a large portion of club members. I think it can really push people to the next level of their riding. And surfing with Jeff was just a class experience! Seeing him rip the wave pool apart was definitely one of the highlights of last year."
BBH: Well, we can certainly see the progression of those that have joined the sessions, especially those who have also joined our coaching weekends in Newquay and Croyde, applying their new skills in both the ocean and at the wave pool. What would you say to those thinking of having coaching with the Bodyboard Holidays team?
Ken: Give it a go! Like any sport to see progression, you have to be open minded and willing to take on coaching points or criticisms. It won’t change you overnight into a world class rider, but the small pointers given on weekends or sessions are always a good place to start. I know when you review sessions the little bits that are picked up on are in the forefront of your mind the next time you’re in the water and you make a conscious effort to improve in that small area.
BBH: And not to forget the ‘Beast Mode” session we shared with you last year. Thank you for having us join that session in September. What do you think of the bigger settings?
Ken: Not a problem. It’s great to finally be able to host those sessions with The Wave. It’s something we’ve all been desperate to sample for a few years now!
BBH: You boys also benefited from some online coaching with Rob via a video call. How has that helped you as individuals with your riding?
"Rob’s coaching was first class. He tweaked parts of my riding that made a huge difference."
BBH: It’s a pleasure to have helped, and we can see big improvements in your riding, specifically your El Rollos and timing hitting the lip, which we worked on during those sessions. We’re stoked! That brings us to the special Bristol Bodyboarders Club coaching weekend that we put on in November. We loved having you guys join us in Newquay, and I think we’ll all agree it was a great success. What was the feedback you got from the members that joined us?
Ken: I think the fact the weekend had similarities to a normal club meet for us really worked. It’s always great getting people together to ride, it’s what the club was started for and we were lucky that on that particular weekend there was good swell around. On the whole feedback was good from the group and the accommodation went down a treat.
Jon: The members really enjoyed the weekend! It’s become a stand out date on the clubs calendar. As Ken said it really felt like a club meet in a lot of aspects. Great socials and some fun waves.
Check out the blog post from the event on https://bristolbodyboardersclub.com
BBH: Well, we had a whole lot of fun having you join us, and with this year’s event already over half full, we can’t wait for another epic weekend of bodyboarding in Newquay with you guys again this November! We also have many of you joining us with Jeff Hubbard at The Wave on 5th July, where we have a day full of coaching with the 3X world champ followed by a demonstration on the dialed-up sessions later in the day. Are you looking forward to it?
Jon: Yeah I can’t wait! It’s shaping up to be a really good day and lots of our members will be joining in on the fun. Jeff is a legend of the sport! And certainly attracted a good crowd on the pier and in the water last year.
BBH: It’s certainly going to be a sick day, with guests joining us from Europe and even as far away as the US. We’re stoked to have both the Bristol Bodyboarders Club and Welsh Bodyboard Club on board for this event and there is talk that some of the Scottish crew will be joining us for what is set to be the biggest UK bodyboarding event of the year!
That leads us on to Sumatra next year, a trip that’s been on our calendars now for over a year and is virtually full of club members. Are you boys looking forward to it?
"I can't Wait!! After seeing some of the guys enjoy the 2024 Sumatra trip it was a must to get booked on! It’s a trip of a lifetime really for myself to go away with a good group of likeminded people in an unbelievable setting. (missis is somewhat jealous)"
Jon: It’s always been a part of the world I’d like to explore more. With a great group of members booking on! I couldn’t pass it up!
BBH: Well, we can’t wait for it either. We had a few club members join us there this year, as well as members joining us in Nusa Lembongan with Iain Campbell back in October. We had some of your members join us in Costa Rica earlier this year, some guys are booked to join us with Jeff Hubbard in Morocco this summer, and others are heading to El Salvador next year. It’s always great having such a tight-knit group of riders join our trips!
We look forward to the events we have lined up with you guys this coming year, and it’s a pleasure to be able to continually support the club and the growth of the sport here in the UK. What’s next for the club, with the 5th anniversary on the horizon, what do you see in the future?
Ken: What’s next… for me personally to see more youth take part in events and comps would be great for the sport and the club. They are the future and hopefully who will carry the club on for years to come. Our anniversary meets are a great day for all who attend! Each year they’ve got a little bigger with more sessions to cater for the masses… The social aspect of the club is something that’s really thrived for us, there’s a great bunch of characters with pockets of people really enjoying each other’s company at every event.
Jon: The club has grown at a fast rate in the last couple of years! Events have got bigger and we have had some amazing times at The Wave and in the ocean. Every year people from all walks of life and age join. May it long continue into our 5th year.
BBH: Well, thank you for your time, gents. We look forward to catching more waves with you very soon, and keep up the good work!
You can join the Bristol Bodyboarders Club by heading to their website and join the biggest bodyboard club in the UK today!
