The surf club inspiring young women to reclaim their town

Coastal changemakers — On the coast of Cornwall, in a town overcrowded in summer and deserted by winter, one woman is empowering locals to discover a sense of agency – through the power of surfing.

The smell of fresh paint hangs in the air as Tassy Swallow pushes open a wooden door to the Surf House, an old military building she crowdfunded back to life after 12 years of dereliction.

Tassy can still remember the moment she found the place up on what St Ives locals call “the island”, a grassy knoll with 360-degree views of the town. She immediately knew it would be the perfect spot for Surf Ratz, a pack of young female surfers she’d been coaching. But the place had been battered by the elements, left with patchy floors and peeling walls.

The 24-year-old first started coaching girls in Cornwall to fund her professional surfing career, but teaching opened up another side to the sport; one that could give women a healthier relationship with their bodies, boosting self-confidence in and out of the water.

She’d represented Great Britain at under-18 level in five successive World Junior Surfing Games yet, back in St Ives, opportunities for people like her seemed scant.

_DSC7285

“Growing up, I was literally the only girl in the water,” she says. “We have arguably the best waves in the country down here and we have a lot of talented surfers who don’t get the support they would in Newquay or up the country where there are better facilities, so I just wanted to get a few girls out there.”

Tassy dreamed of starting a surf school that doubled as a safe space: both from tourists overrunning their town in summer and from boys domineering the waves. She set upon the task with quiet, characteristic determinism.After launching an online campaign to raise £10,000 for the renovation, she realised she wasn’t alone. The target was reached in just three weeks.

Over time, Tassy has turned the place into a Cornish hideaway. It’s got a working kitchen, a surfing workshop and a function room where they fundraise with supper clubs and yoga sessions.

_DSC0300

The Surf Ratz themselves, meanwhile, span a variety of ages and backgrounds, from kids who wouldn’t normally be able to afford a surf school to those who’ve been turned away from other clubs for health and safety reasons.

Today a handful of them have gathered on a breezy spring afternoon, with watery light filtering through the slit windows and tourists in hiking gear winding down the coastal path out front, the ocean crashing against some rocks below.

As Tassy lights a little wood-burning stove, the Surf Ratz talk about life in the summer, when windbreakers block sea views and the pace of life of shifts unrecognisably.

St Ives used to have a thriving port, but the decline of fishing has shifted the economy onto tourism, opening up a chasm between wealthy summer visitors and locals. By 2016, almost half of St Ives was comprised of second homes – threatening to turn it into a ghost town out of season.

_DSC7289

That same year, locals fought back with a development plan to avoid becoming a pleasure resort for absentee landlords, starting with a ban on second homes. Eighty-nine per cent of residents voted in favour of the proposals, drawing attention from around the world.

But little attention has been paid to what’s left for locals. A skate park at the top of St Ives, installed in 2004, has fallen into ruin. A fish market on the harbour has disappeared. There isn’t even a local fishmonger – the catch gets taken straight to an industrial port on the fringes of the town where it can be sold back to retailers and restaurants.

“We live in an incredible place and we’re lucky to be here,” says Tassy. “But there are struggles with getting a job and getting that first step on the ladder. The biggest problem is that the only jobs for young people are in restaurants or kitchens or shops.

“It’s so seasonal and such a horrible grind, so my idea is to inspire girls to think bigger than what’s in front of them: to create their own business or do something else they want to do. Surfing is one of those sports that can open up so many doors, whether it’s film, photography or travel.”

_DSC0197

This summer, Tassy plans to invite other self-employed women to talk to the Surf Ratz about starting their own businesses. She’s also working on a project to turn the Surf House into a ‘marine dream hub’, one of three UK hubs bringing together coastal communities to make the most of their marine environment and boost their local economy.

And after a two-year break to get the Surf House up and running, Tassy’s surf career could be taking off again. She’s just been picked to train for the English squad that will travel to this year’s World Surfing Games in Japan, giving her a chance at Olympic selection.

“With surfing, because of the type of sport it is, a lot of parents are not too quick to be supportive,” Tassy says. “It’s nice to be the person who is saying, ‘Yes, stay at school. But when you’ve finished, if you don’t want to work for Tesco, go and follow your own dream.’”

This article appears in Huck 65 – The Coming of Age Issue. Buy it in the Huck Shop or subscribe to make sure you never miss another issue.

Find out more about Tassy’s Surf Ratz.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

You might like

Man singing at microphone on stage, wearing red shirt and tattoo on arm, playing electric guitar.
Activism

Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong tells ICE to “fuck off” in LA protest video

Saviors — The singer shared the post on Sunday, featuring the band’s recently released song ‘Fuck Off’ as its soundtrack.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Family of 6 people, including 3 children, standing together in front of a wooden fence.
Activism

Meet the Kumeyaay, the indigenous peoples split by the US-Mexico border wall

A growing divide — In northwestern Mexico and parts of Arizona and California, the communities have faced isolation and economic struggles as physical barriers have risen in their ancestral lands. Now, elders are fighting to preserve their language and culture.

Written by: Alicia Fàbregas

A person wearing a red bandana and denim jacket, looking directly at the camera.
Activism

A new book explores Tupac’s revolutionary politics and activism

Words For My Comrades — Penned by Dean Van Nguyen, the cultural history encompasses interviews with those who knew the rapper well, while exploring his parents’ anti-capitalist influence.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Crowd of protesters holding Palestinian flags and signs calling for "Free Palestine" outside the UK Houses of Parliament.
Activism

A reading of the names of children killed in Gaza lasts over 18 hours

Choose Love — The vigil was held outside of the UK’s Houses of Parliament, with the likes of Steve Coogan, Chris O’Dowd, Nadhia Sawalha and Misan Harriman taking part.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Dimly lit underground carpark, long winding corridor with concrete walls, floor, and pipes above.
Activism

Youth violence’s rise is deeply concerning, but mass hysteria doesn’t help

Safe — On Knife Crime Awareness Week, writer, podcaster and youth worker Ciaran Thapar reflects on the presence of violent content online, growing awareness about the need for action, and the two decades since Saul Dibb’s Bullet Boy.

Written by: Ciaran Thapar

Surf

Laird Hamilton

Made of Stone — In an exclusive interview, the legendary waterman tells HUCK about his estranged father, his distrust of people, his love for red wine and Jimi Hendrix, and his boundless commitment to pursue what he calls his ‘art’.

Written by: Alex Wade

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.