Remember me?

Well how dee doo dee! Remember me? Tall, dark, handsome, walks around Polzeath beach car park like I've got no knees, goes by the name of Pete.I.Am, P of the Deep Blue C? No, still nothing?! Hm..... founded Surf's Up?Paddled across the English Channel with James Cracknell (yawn)? There you go...you do remember me. Ah bless. I knew we'd get there in the end. I know it's been so long, too long... such a naughty boy, who's a naughty boy, oh yes you are, that's it, oh right there, oh that's good....and back in the room! I was gone there for a minute! Get so excited writing these enews. Anyway, you and me, we're here now, shall we?

Let's have a little chat about the season just gone first (I've got a list of one or two official bits to mention, given to me by the Governess.. that's me orders or they'll be no mince pies apparently - let's hope that's a promise! minced meat in a pastry casing dusted with icing sugar...that's not right. That's very wrong. A Yule choccy log on the other hand is pure genius - Cadbury's obviously (Tim if you're reading....!)). So what's occuring? Thanks for asking... recently? Not much. I've had to up the maintenance routine on the hair protruding from both ear canals and the two whopper nostrils located on my face, centre mid; the chickens have put in a formal request to have their legs back; and my cones and rods function back and forth from 'what a wonderful world' to 'where am I?'.... apart from that it's all tickety boo in the growing old gracefully department. Self praise is no praise.

In summary, 2013 has been a year like no other. For starters, remember those nasty grey paper shufflers who put together a pretty ropey tender process for the patch of sand we'd occupied for the past 18 years?...well a lengthy battle commenced, (thank you for your support) which concluded in us making a break for independence. Freeeeedom, Freeeeeedom, you gotta give what you take. That's enough thanks George, now hurry along back to the park. We relocated our operation to the Beach House / Office / Decking at the end of September a decision that was celebrated by our clients who on many occasions were heard to utter "this is much better. They should have moved up here years ago!" I'll take that as a compliment. I agree. Both clients and staff are enjoying the increased intimacy of the Surf's Up! experience that the new place affords. And you know what? It's wonderful to be away from the politics of the beach. We're just doing our own thing. In hindsight, we probably should have been more courageous and made the move to independence a few years back. We bought our HQ what, five years ago, but I guess we were comfortable with our sandy base, which was afterall where it all began. We engineered the timing of the move to perfection, bedding in before the October half term... which was to be our busiest ever. A relief and encouraging in equal measure. Ironically, in the end it was the council who we have most to thank.... if the tender process had been done properly, we'd still be there now! But as it is, the business is ours, it has a greater value and we save oodles of spondoolies in lease fees. Regrets? None.

The weather this summer? Scorchio. Plenty of time to work on those white bits. Boom time therefore?.. no, not exactly. The big ball of fire lit up the sky at exactly the same time the surf gods decided to book their hols... to Bali as it goes! Despite the weather drawing visitors aplenty to the shoreline, more than for many years, that's pretty well where they remained. In July, the two consecutive weeks of flat conditions with the occasion set of ankle snappers, were not good for business. Great for Polzeath and the shops, but not what surf school owners dream of. We spent the rest of the year playing catch up.... which we just about achieved.

Despite my intense dislike of pies filled with mincemeat, let's take a few moments to run through some Surf's Up! Christmas treats that may be of interest. I'll be brief... selling doesn't sit comfortably with me!! The items that we have on offer range from surf lesson vouchers to a six bedded house.... how much you spend is obviously a clear indication of how much you love the recipient!! Buy the house, and I reckon you're assured of a good time for many years to come....

Surf's Up! Christmas goodies, all of which can be found on the website include... surf lesson vouchers (which include hoodies); Beach House weekend voucher - £350 (low season only); Christmas Beach House Break - available from the 20th December through to the 30th December, flexible dates (please ring Avian 07760 126225); and then of course, we have the usual shop stock ... hoodies, tees etc available through our website. For that special someone, or as a stocking filler, our house for sale can be found on Rightmove.... it's got sea views and everyfink..... please buy it. Thank you.  

 Okay, how are we doing? I think that's me done for now... oh, keep this to yourself... but I may be doing a bit of stand up paddle boarding..... and it's possible that I may actually be enjoying it.... a lot!! Must be an age thing.

If we don't speak before, have an amazing Christmas. We're open everyday over the holiday period (except the big day and Boxing day)... so pop in and see us if you want a lesson, hire, a chat etc....

It's been fun, love you loads, I'm off to chomp on a log,

Peeeeteeey xx

Polzeath beach Licence Update

We've ummed and arrrred about this one, me and the curly cheese head. Janey's not sure. My position is that we've had so much support that really we should just keep you in the loop. The fear is that you'll be bored of it all!! Bores me I know that much. Okay, here we go. One last time. In summary, re. the beach and the licence etc... we're not going anywhere. Surf's Up! is going to rock and roll into our 19th year and beyond. Whether that's with the council on side or not, we'll have to see. Today was the day though, pay or go.... so I've written a final letter to the council officers. Have a read. If you love Polzeath the changes will affect you, no question. It's a big day for us... I'm sure you'll get that. 19 years in and we feel like we've been treated really badly. Really badly. 

Dear Mark, (legal services)

As we have not heard from you re. a meeting, we have laid out our position below.

History

We started operating at Polzeath in 1995 with the help of a Princess Youth Business Trust loan of £2k as a start up fund to purchase equipment such as boards, wetsuits, trailer etc and to print a few leaflets. Myself (two years) and Janey (six years) had prior surf coaching experience working up at Bude. In that first year, we parked where we are to this day but we weren't allowed to take money on the beach. We had to walk our clients across the road to the entrance of the Valley Caravan Park where we lived in a static. There were no computers, no mobile phones, and we responded to enquiries by hand written letter. In that first year, we set out our store that this was to be our livelihood. We'd been on a government business course where the tutor had told us, "if you want to be successful, don't chase the money, focus on the quality of the service." 

To this day the objective of Surf's Up! has never been and never will be about chasing money. We used to hear it, particularly a few years ago prior to the Wave Scheme, when we were very busy, we were an easy target.. that we were just doing it for the money. We took it as a huge compliment. We've never had a large marketing budget. It was then, as it is today about doing a good job for our students, providing a personal service, exceeding their expectations and it was these students that spread the good word. It hasn't been rocket science. We worked incredibly hard and made the most of our limited skills. As we've grown we've remained true to the philosophy that surfing is a positive life experience and knowing the impact that surfing has had on our lives, we feel a weighty responsibility to ensuring that our clients get that same opportunity. We've also felt that our pricing of lessons should be set at a level that's affordable to all. 

In 1996 following support from the Parish Council, clients and local residents we approached Noel Harradine, Bruce Tyzer and Bob Pyman at the NCDC for a licence to trade in the car park. There wasn't one, so they put one together for us. The same one we now find ourselves being at odds with the council over.

A lot has happened between then and now, but in summary surfing grew to such an extent that safety in the water, particularly the white water beginner area, was being compromised with no controls in place. Following a lengthy and often heated consultation period between the NCDC, the BSA, the RNLI, Prof Green and surf schools, the Wave Scheme was put in place. It was recognised that surf hire could not at that time be controlled, however, surf schools could be. It was not seen as the perfect solution, more a good place to start. The Wave Scheme at Polzeath has been effective, very effective. It has controlled the numbers in the water and prevented accidents. Limited to just two surf schools, with restrictions in place we've been able to operate side by side with our competitors in a healthy and safe manner. When Animal / Wavehunters joined the party, of course, no-one wants competition, but their arrival was the best thing that ever happened to us. It was sink or swim. We chose to swim by focusing on getting better. Growing a business is not easy. There are challenges. Try as we might we don't always get it right. But we do our very best. We're incredibly proud of our business, it's history and we work conscientiously to maintain our reputation. 

With the new restrictions in place we had to make big changes to our operation. Cutting student numbers by 75% at high tide, for example, impacted our business massively, but we took the long term view that maintaining Polzeath's reputation as safe family surfing destination was and always will be of paramount importance.

The restrictions came hand in hand with having to tender for the first time for the our surf school licence in 2006. We bid £20k on the basis that there were to be only two surf schools at Polzeath. At that time, Polzeath was booming and we could justify the tender sum. We could run a safe and sustainable business at that price. And we knew what we were bidding for. James Ortiz, in particular, was always very transparent and open with council direction. He always kept us informed and was always very quick to address any issues that we had. We always knew where we stood, even if we didn't always agree.

On a final point, during the evolution of Surf's Up! it should be recognised that in many areas we've led the surf school industry. Our Boardriders Club for example has provided cheap after school surfing lesson for an average of 150 kids a week for the past eight years. We've taken some of them on surf trips to France, Portugal and Bali. Ground breaking. And we've taken four of them from complete beginners through to the GB team where they've competed at the World Games. Ground breaking and inspirational. 

Present

We understand that our licence has to go to tender. We get that. We also recognise that the council has a duty to maximise revenue from it's assets to pay for services. Of course. However, we fail to understand why other CCC owned car parks with beach access are not subject to the same revenue maximisation as Polzeath. The value may not be as high as, but there is still value. With the demise of the Wave Scheme, tendering trading spots on CCC car parks might go some way to filling the pot required to pay for services such as life guarding and beach cleaning. Seems pretty obvious.

Listed below are a few key dates that bring us to where we are now:

09/03/12 letter from council finance department completely out of the blue saying that we owe £9,000 on back tax as Vat should have been paid on the licence fee from April 2009 to March 2012. Our accountant writes by return to say this is incorrect and Vat is not due - he lays out the reasons why and awaits a reply (he waits 378 days!). Every subsequent quarter in 2012 we receive an invoice for £5k + VAT, I ring the council accounts dept and explain that our accountant has written re. the VAT issue and that we're awaiting a response and that we could not pay an incorrect invoice. On each occasion we were assured of a quick response.

16/08/12 Wave Scheme withdrawn mid licence term, changing the terms and conditions of the licence without notice. Other surf school groups started arriving and using the beach. Up to this point we had restricted our business and group sizes under the terms and conditions of the licence. The fee of £20k had been based on the protection provided by the Wave Scheme.

06/03/13 We learned from our competitor Andy Cameron (who subsequently went on to be the only one to tender for Pitch B) that there was to be a tender process for two surf schools on the beach. This came as a surprise as we had been the lease holder since 1996, adhered to all of it's conditions and paid in excess of £150,000 for the privilege. 

07/03/13 David Attwell writes to apologise that we heard the news in that way

07/03/13 Phil Jones writes to apologise for not getting in touch sooner.

09/03/13 we receive a copy of the licence application form - tenders to be in by 3pm on Friday 29nd March

11/03/13 I write to Mr Sharpe, Attwell and Jones highlighting the safety issues and asking relevant questions. 

13/03/13 Advert In Cornish Guardian - tenders to be in by 3pm on Friday 22nd March

Prior to 29/03/13 the council receive many letters of objection to the proposal, question the tender process and highlight safety concerns both in the car park and in the water

Prior to 29/03/13 Councillor Brian Gisbourne made enquiries to David Attwell re. the licence and was informed that an application had been made by a non - surf school business. He reported this back to the Parish Council. This proved to be untrue.

Prior to 29/03/13 spoke to Phil Jones where he concurred that without additional information, it would be very hard to value Pitch A. The specific information that we required was:

1) Will Pitch B be a surf school or provide surf services that may impact on our business. 

2) Will there be any restrictions on other surf schools operating at Polzeath

These answer to these two questions were absolutely essential for us to make a valuation on the Pitch and therefore to make a tender application. Without the definitive answers, valuing would be impossible. We never received an answer.

             

29/03/13 Date of tender submission - office closed, bank holiday! We submitted the tender by hand on the 28/03/13, the three officers were on holiday.

05/04/13 Formal interviews scheduled in the time table did not happen. Instead I rang David Attwell to organise a meeting to discuss the licence issues that we had.

10/04/13 Meeting at the council officers between ourselves and Mr. Jones, Sharpe and Attwell. This was more like an interview and yet we'd requested the meeting. We were promised a copy of the Minutes asap.

10/04/13 Informed that Vat was indeed not payable on the licence fee and that the £9,000 bill was incorrect. This response came over a year after our accountants highlighted the issue and asked for clarification.

26/04/13 letter from Karen Jackson to our solicitor has so many inaccuracies which I address in a reply on the 03/05/13

21/05/13 Our instructors save the life of an elderly gentleman who was enjoying a day out with the family, highlighting some of the safety issues at Polzeath.

02/05/13 onwards - letters from Karen Jackson, CCC legal team make no sense and conflict with letters we'd received previously from Phil Jones.  

03/06/13 Following seven requests, we finally receive a copy of the Minutes - they are incomplete and make no mention of the comments made by Jolyon Sharpe. 

24/06/13 letter from Mark Pearce sent to our general e-mail rather than my private e-mail. Incredibly unprofessional. The details in the letter reference licence fees due are inconsistent with the finance department. There is also a claim on the licence fee for this year. We are requested to pay £20k by the 5th July or vacate the pitch.

During the period of 11/03/13 to date: letters from the council officers, legal and finance department have been conflicting; replies to e-mails have taken two weeks; council officers often on holiday or unobtainable; Jolyon Sharpe has picked up the phone only once, I phoned him, he was on a day off and would not discuss the licence.

We also during this period employed the services of a solicitor. This was because the timescale of the tender process etc led to the council giving us a ultimatum, pay the £20k or leave. We felt that we were unfairly being pushed into a corner. The process was neither transparent, open nor fair. Following the lack of information and misleading information; the lack of consultation with the RNLI, surf schools, Surfing GB and the stake holders; it felt that this was being pushed through too quickly without proper reflection on a change that was so fundamental to safety of beach users at Polzeath, we had no option but to seek help.

We have copies of in excess of 500 letters written to the council to object to the new tender proposal and support for Surf's Up!

In Summary

The timeline of events clearly shows service failure by the CCC. There was no tender process that was followed. And as a result there have been considerable personal injustices caused to us, our business and our staff. We were not given the opportunity to value the site because key information was not forthcoming and in some instances information that was provided was deliberately misleading. As you are aware, we have asked the Ombudsmen to look at this... they await a conclusion from your own findings. 

It is quite clear that now that the beach is open to anyone to operate, Polzeath is no longer the safe surfing destination it once was. This is down to a change in council policy. You had control and you had revenue. Now you have no control, and it remains to be seen if the extra revenue (if indeed there is any) was worth the risk and fundamental change to the beach. In our opinion it will get worse as the new operators strengthen and grow their surf schools over the seven year term. It is also quite clear that with a new surf hire outfit soon to be located right next to us in combination with an open house policy on operating surf schools, £20k is not viable, sustainable or realistic. We stated this in our tender application and our position has been strengthened by witnessing the beach over Whistun. 

I wonder who's experience you've leant on to make the changes and wonder whether in the event of an incident (there will be one) who stands up and takes ultimate responsibility. We all know the RNLI position on this and that the lifeguards were forbidden to make personal comment!

We will continue to be at Polzeath. As the one of the most established surf schools in the UK with an unrivalled reputation, we don't fear change or sustainability. Obviously, we'd like to remain where we are... but only if it's at the right price. So our position remains the same, to get around the table and discuss where we go from here. We're happy to pay, we think we should pay... but not £20k. Not now that the goal posts have been moved. I understand that we tick all the boxes as far as what you require regarding experience of Polzeath, community value, safety record etc..... and this would be our 19th year on the same patch of sand! It would be such a shame that what has had such a huge positive impact on the success story of Polzeath should not have the support of the CCC.

Yours sincerely

Pete

So there you have it. I'm guessing this will fall on deaf ears but we've tried our best. Forecast is looking awesome, so I'm going to slip on the speedos and work on the white bits!! No peeking now!

Update: Monday morning!! I've read the letter quite a few times and there's so much I've left out... ho hum, I'll keep that back for another time. I wish the council had done all of this over the winter rather than three weeks before the start of the season and followed a proper process of tender and consultation. The council are forever chasing instructor and life guard certificates (no need as a Surf GB Centre of Excellence) but I wonder who in the council has the qualifications and experience to make these massive decisions that affect the beach, not just for a year or two, but for the long term... 

Many many thanks for all the e-mails of support and encouragement over the weekend. Hope you had a good one - was pretty awesome!!

As good as it gets

It's amazing how quickly you forget! What a summer!! Today Polzy is as good as it gets. Overhead, light offshore breeze, blazing sun... set to stay the same through the day. Sweet as. Drop everything. Come on down and join the party.

This is a fly-by. Whitsun bank holiday week was busy. Lots of waves and burnt shoulders. Oh and myself and the boys caught some fishies. Much excitement as we hauled in a biggun, our first fish that wasn't a mackerel! A Pollock! As Findog fought the good fight to bring her aboard, "Stop!" I shouted. "Stop!" The boys looked puzzled. "Just let the line out a bit!" Was I about to embellish them with advanced fishing techniques? No, one of the empty hooks on the line had attached itself to my ear! Yep, that's the standard of fishing expertise in our boat!! In summary, fish were tasty, ear is sound.

Good Work Team

How are you diddling? (Too personal?) Bit breezy woo down here on the beach, time to hold onto yer 'ats! Talking of hats.... and wind blowing through you hair, it's the 13th anniversary today. "Congratulations Pete" "Why thank you." (I may well have made this anniversary up, I have). Yep, thirteen years ago today, in the morning I had hair, long enough to sit on. By the afternoon, the tonsorial artist had enough hair to stuff a medium sized scatter cushion. Gone. The long flowing locks that used to swaddle my shoulders in luxurient magnificence were chopped in a manner that I can only describe as, ruthless. Once the first sweep of Wahl clipper had been made, there was no going back. Although to be fair as the first sweep had gone... from mid eye brow, to crown, to middle of back of head, there wasn't a great deal of trimmage required such was the lack of follicle decollage. Hence the reason for the number one in the first place. Studying still warm 6 x 4's from Boots of a recent trip to South Africa, the choices were clear: Reverse Mohican, Sweep over or chop. Chop it was and what a liberating experience it was. Never looked back really.

Hairs inside my head still beat a path toward a better life in the sun. These days, however, they gather at the entrances of my head holes. They wait until there's enough of them and then in the dead of night, they break cover via nasal and aural passages. Why I'm talking about this, I have no idea!!! I could go on. No seriously I could, but you're busy... we need to move on.

So what's new? What's news? Firstly, big pat on the back to our three instructors Paddy, Luke and Dee for quite probably saving a member of the general public in the surf on Tuesday. Paddy, who was coaching a school at the time, spotted him staggering back in the shallows. He watched as the man collapsed and lay face down in the water. Paddy chased over whilst calling for assistance from fellow Surf's Up! instructors Luke and Dee who were nearby. The man was taken away by air ambulance to Treliske where a full recovery was made. Full story in the Cornish Guardian here. Text book. We have an amazing coaching team on the beach this year, all favourites from last year and a joy to be around. Spirits in the camp are high.

Following the incident I wrote a personal letter to the Chief Executive of Cornwall County Council. I wanted reassurance that changes to beach policy are undertaken with consulation from those who work on the front line and understand the issues, rather than by those who lack experience and qualification, but still get given a title and responsibility to make decisions that affect us all. We work in a challenging environment that needs respect. The events of Tuesday and those in the estuary just over a week ago, are timely reminders that this is a very, very serious business. The council have made a complete 180 degree reversal on policy that isn't a trial for year to see how it goes, but a commitment for seven years. That's an awfully long time for the Chief Exec to have to hold his breath.

On Saturday we're hosting up on the decking of our Beach House, the Finisterre sale. Can't wait. Their clothing is top drawer, love it. If you want to grab yourself a bargain, this would be your moment. As well as innovative jackets and wooly jumpers made from their own sheep, they also do an award winning range of merino pants that never smell. I can testify to that. If you turn them inside out and put them on back to front, you know, mix it up a bit, it's incredible how long they'll last between washes!!

Surf's looking good for the bank holiday weekend, particularly for beginners and improvers. If you're around during the week, you could see some of the big stuff too. Lessons are everyday at 10am, 12pm and 2pm - 07760 126225 - pre-booking highly recommended.

Also, last minute availability at our flat - from Sunday 26th May, 5 nights - £250 including 5 surfing lessons. Would suit anyone looking to get some boxes ticked for their Duke of Edinburgh Awards. 

My work here, for now, is done. PC... MD of surfing empire!

No news as yet

Nothing to report. We expected a letter from the council with a new proposal last Friday, that hasn't arrived yet. So we're no further forward as yet. We're not standing still though... lots going on. In the absence of any direction from the council we're looking at alternatives... and to be honest as time goes on, they stack up quite nicely. Really frustrating to have this going on at this time of year when all our efforts should be focused on the year ahead.

What I want to know is whether the council are prepared to bend their own duty of care considerations, risk assessments and HSE policies to drive this through in order to raise more cash. If they do, we'll operate independently. No question.

The Cornwall Council have a Beach Management Strategy - here's the link - http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=33530 - it's all there. And here below is the specific page relating to Polzeath. If you click on it, it should grow before your eyes!

Gig on Saturday night was great fun. Really enjoyed it. Good vibe, fun was had and I think we played okay considering a six months absence from the rock scene. But those there will be the judge of that! There were lots of smiley faces looking back at me and I take that as a good sign.

Oh, thats interesting!!

Interesting facts: 

Cornwall Council Car Park Income/ surf school fees

Gwithian - £103k / £0
Widemouth - £97k / £900
Summerleaze - £178k / £675
Crooklets - £54k / £225

Polzeath - £141k / £20,225 from Surfs Up! Surf School

Why? Why isn't the Cornwall County Council putting other spots out for tender? The council tell us that they need to find the value of their land..... so why aren't these beach car parks put out to tender too? 

Tempted

Tempted, very tempted, but holding back. That's our position. The national press want a slice of this... they would. Polzeath holiday destination of the PM and Harry and William, you bet they want the story...we're just not quite ready yet. We're a big surf school, but a small business. And that's the way we like it. We have no illusion of grandeur, not looking for an opportunity to get beyond our station. All we actually want is to be able to continue to run our surf school as we have done for the last 18 years, on a safe beach.

Of the 500 + emails sent to the council that I've seen.... one came through yesterday that was short, but to the point. It reads as follows...

Thank you for your generic response.

Perhaps you could answer a straightforward question. Has the control of the number of surfing students on the beach at any one time been addressed in the tender documentation?

If it has, then tenderers will be able to take a view on the prescribed number of clients it may be able to attract and therefore price its bid accordingly. If it has not, then, without doubt, the safety of the surfers and thereby the public is being compromised as you are giving the green light for each of the surfing schools to maximise the number of students in the water at any one time.

Do not be fooled that 'Establishing the new licensed framework for surf tuition from the Council’s land will enable the authority to set minimum standards to ensure a quality experience for the user in line with the historic standards within the former WAVES scheme.'... because that simply is not true. What the council have chosen to omit in this statement is that there will now no longer be any restriction on other surf schools using Polzeath as a teaching venue and there will no longer be any restriction on the number of surfers any surf school can teach at one time. High tide on a hot summer's day? Oh my God! Oh my God. This is absolutely not in line with the former Wave Scheme. It couldn't be further apart.

Anyway, it's business as usual. Van off to get sign written next week - whether we stay where we are or move two yards away... we'll still be here and we're resolved to make it the best year ever! 

We were going to give this the 'One more night' tag line..... but we've been using that one for the past nine years! No one buys it anymore! 

Looking forwards

Firstly let's congratulate two of our former Surf's Up! Boardriders - Liam and Max who both triumphed at the recent Rip Curl Grom Search. A fantastic achievement by both. Trained over a few years intensively by our elite coach and Kiwi, Kelly O'Toole these boys have been going head to head for a while now. It'll be interesting to track their careers as they progress into the older age categories.

Surf today - head high, windy but warm. I much prefer it like this. It's almost balmy! Sunny yesterday. My bonce is browner than on Monday for sure.

Speaking of balmy, went to the solicitors yesterday... that all went well. Few paths to explore for sure. And then if it comes to it we're looking at a bill of £25k -30k to go to Judicial Review. Costly for sure. We'd have to sell one of our kids, but needs must and the cause is a good one! I like to see myself as a visonary :-) and what I see in three years time is sun, surf and three surf schools battling it out to pay for big licence fees in an over crowded black and white surf zone whilst the perpetrators are long gone. It's not about today or tomorrow - it's what happens within that 7 year lease period. The problem only gets worse. And the problem is there to stay. It's irreversible. That's why we have to stand up for what we think is right. 

The council are bending the rules of risk assessments and HSE and it's not right in any shape or form. It sets a precedent. Do you know what I'd really like to know? Where's the expertise coming from to make these decisions. The impact is huge, these are fundamental changes to the way the beaches are managed..... consultation should have been undertaken. If, as I suspect, the council are leaning on someone without the necessary experience, we will get to the bottom of it. Because no-one in their right mind would go forward with this proposal. It's a recipe for disaster. It's a way to raise cash so that someone can stay in employment. But they're not going to get it. If we pull out from the tender process and park 5 yds away, take the view that we'd rather pay £300 for a parking ticket, spend the £19,700 on developing our business in a different way, who's going to pay £20k to sit next to us? You'd think they'd take a view and do the same. What's been proved in this process is that at the end of the lease term, you have a business that you can't sell on and that therefore has no value. I think the council are at risk of making less money than last year, not more. But we'll see. I believe in people, and I  like to see the best in people. I'm also a fatalist ie things happen for a reason. How many of you have said, this could be the best thing that's ever happened to you. 

I should thank you again for the letters of support - we'd like to somehow publish them, it's hard to comprehend the efforts that have been made to write about your connection with Polzeath and real genuine concern that it retains it's appeal. Humbling, make no mistake. Oh and I used to think no-one read my blogs or newsletters - apparently some of you do.

Right, I suppose I'd better do some guitar and singing practice for Saturday. The last time our band played together was September and we won't have time for a rehearsal. We're going to wing it. History tells me that in our case a good rehearsal is no guarantee of a good gig. We've had some shockers! Standing behind the mike can be the loneliest of places when it's all going wrong. I lost my voice once at a private party during the second song. The Amy Whitehouse tribute singer came back on stage to lend a hand. There's a low light right there! But at the same time, I've been past head high amongst the assembled for a bit of crowd surfing - at the Oystercatcher as it goes, which is where we're playing this weekend. I'm hoping that adrenaline, fear and a drunk audience will win the day! Whatever happens, it'll be fun and I feel there'll be a bit more energy and angst to channel into the vocals this time around. Ladies and gentleman, let's get ready to rumble! Oh nearly forget, how rude... of course on Saturday, we'll also be celebrating Plymouth Argyle staying in the football league and the start of their charge towards the Premiership. Get in!

Council Reply

We are truly humbled by the support. I've just seen a response sent out today by Jolyon, Countryside Officer for Cornwall County Council, who I believe lacks the experience to head this up. I've inserted my comments - the lies, inconsistencies and inference that by adding a further surf school represents a step forward re. beach safety is totally incorrect, dangerous and foolish. Letter and reply as follows....  

The licence awarded to the existing provider of surf tuition from the Polzeath Car Park recently expired after a long period of operation (18 years).  The Council has a duty to achieve best value from publicly owned assets, which informed its decision to advertise two opportunities for licences (where and when was the consultation process to turn the car park spaces into a trading pitch - apparently the reason why this isn't being done on any other beach is because the consultation process is lengthy) through a publicly advertised (wrong dates, not on tender website, no reply to questions asked, submission date on bank holiday) competitive process . The existing provider was notified of the Council’s intention to tender (the first we heard about this was through our main competitor the day before it went in the paper - upon which we were given 14 working days. The previous tender was carried out over an 8 week period). 

The Council has now evaluated the tenders received and has offered the opportunity to trade from the car park to two successful businesses catering for surf tuition and hire. The Council’s proposed licence agreements would contain the same standards covered by the former WAVES scheme to ensure the highest operating and health and safety thresholds are met. (except the numero uno condition - they've taken away any restrictions on numbers ie we can take in as many students as we like with no reference to tide or season. Really? Wow! At high tide we used to be restricted to 20 students, we could now take in 100? plus the two other schools, plus any other surf schools operating on the beach as they've taken away that restriction too. Free for all.)

The Council recognises the importance of the beaches to the environment and economy of Cornwall and is committed to ensuring that it works with both local communities and businesses (the council have received over 500 e-mails opposing the introduction of a new surf school - it has not in any way worked with the local community or businesses) to ensure that these are managed in a sensitive way.  Revenue generated from the issuing of licences is used to support the provision of services such as beach cleansing and Lifeguards and the authority is required to ensure that it generates the best possible value for Council Taxpayers’ money. (which brings us back to - the tender sum will be the key criteria and why not roll it out on ever beach).

Local authorities in this area have worked with activity providers on the beach for a number of years to try and improve standards and manage the quality of experience in the surf zone. (so why change it now - why the backward step?) Polzeath has a number of surf hire outlets (including the surf schools) and shops in the village selling surf equipment, many of which operate without the formal structure that relate to Cornwall Council’s procedures. Establishing the new licensed framework for surf tuition from the Council’s land will enable the authority to set minimum standards to ensure a quality experience for the user in line with the historic standards within the former WAVES scheme. (Absolutely total rubbish!!! That is a complete falsehood of the situation and the statement should be retracted. What has actually happened is they've taken away any restrictions - ie we can teach as many people as we like at any state of time, whilst at the same time allowing any surf school to operate on the beach - the situation before was that there were only two surf schools permitted to operate, now any surf school can operate).

So in summary - it's all about the money, end of, cloaked in misleading info about making the beach safer. The statement 'new licensed framework for surf tuition from the Council’s land will enable the authority to set minimum standards to ensure a quality experience for the user in line with the historic standards within the former WAVES scheme.'.... is absolute nonsense. Complete nonsense. No one would agree with this statement. I think the council is assuming that you have no knowledge of how the beach works. With their actions I think you have more. This is a fob off and totally unacceptable. With falsehoods such as this, into misleading the general public that this is going to better.... I truly believe now that enough is enough and the council officers need to stand down or at the very least hold an open meeting so that the points can be discussed in an open and transparent way. 

I believe that there may be a fourth Muskateer who is watching all this from his ivory tower... you might like to make your views known.

Alford Jonny (jalford@cornwall.gov.uk)

Jolyon Sharpe - 01208 262836 / 07974 916505 jolyon.sharpe@cornwall.gov.uk

Off to see the solictors this afternoon - Compliants Procedure in process, Ombudsman informed and watching. Will consider a Judicial Review, may consider setting up a fighting fund in return for lesson vouchers to go down that route as it's costly. But all so unnecessary.

Other news - erm, well obviously this is dominating our every waking hour. Massive thanks to everyone who's shown such amazing support.. it's been quite a journey! We feel we need a knees up, music soothes the savage beast, so the Surf's Up! rock band Mahoustic (Wailo, lead guitarist; me, vocals and weak link; Grattman, bass former instructor; Will, drums and mate) - we're going to play up at the Oystercatcher this Saturday. Might just have a bit of angst to release with our Foo Fighter, Pearl Jam covers. All welcome!! Be great to see you there.

P of the Deep Blue C

Onward

I know of another 200+ letters that were sent via e-mail to the council on Friday and over the weekend opposing the new surf school. So that's over 500 that I know about. Will they read them? Doubt it! So Complaints Procedure in process, Ombudsmen informed and watching with interest, meeting with solicitors tomorrow. Not going to sit back and take it. Press lined up as and when we need them. We've had a deadline moved to Wednesday... think a lot will happen between now and then. Really miffed that the council misled the district councillor by saying they'd had a bid from a business that wasn't surf related - that was to deflect the criticism, it was a lie.

Surf today is massive! A 6.1 m high tide and it swept under our trailer - wow! That's never happened before. I blame the council. I told you they'd lost all control of our beaches!