New surf club to launch in Thurso
THURSO youngsters will soon have the chance to take to the waves as a surfing club has been certified to start up in the town next month.
Club treasurer Sheila Finlayson completed a rigorous training course in Cornwall last Friday and is now qualified to run lessons.
She plans to accept an initial class of eight youths, although adults will be able to get lessons too and can accompany younger children in the water.
Sheila said: “The bulk of our work will be about getting children into the water.”
The Thurso resident described the training course as “immensely hard” and said she and fellow instructor Jay Dufaur got through “by the skin of our teeth”.

Sheila, who has won 10 Scottish surfing championships, was able to succeed thanks to a lifetime in the sport.
She said: “Most people doing life training are in their 20s, not their 40s. I was training for 12 weeks to get fit enough.
“During the course one girl nearly drowned because she wasn’t used to swimming in the sea. The conditions were too tough for her. It was very, very wavy.
“We had to swim 400 metres out to sea in under eight minutes.
“We had to do that eight times a day, sometimes dragging people back, some of whom were very heavy.”
During the training Sheila was tested on resuscitation as well as the procedures to follow in the event of medical emergencies such as diabetic comas or heart attacks.
She had to gain certification from the national lifeguard institution as well as the International Surfing Association in order to verify her ability as an instructor.
When Sheila was young she started a surfing club in Thurso High School.
The people she trained with are now parents themselves, with a growing desire to see their children be able to surf in the same way they did in their youth.
Top stories
-
Wick residents fear health implications of whisky fungus and damage to property with Pulteney Distillery expansion
-
Caithness CAB chief ‘blown away’ by impact of food insecurity project
-
Thurso pupils hear about engineering as a career during Rolls-Royce visit
-
North MSP says Hospital at Home scheme can help ‘transform care delivery’
“They now have children and they want a class to put them to. Even some of the surfers who have come up from down south say it’s a bit of a shame there aren’t any young people in the water. They are saying ‘you should really start something’. The time is right. A lot want their children to surf in a supported environment with other kids.”
Sheila had valuable assistance from local sources in paying for the training course and buying equipment, and was eager to thank everyone who had shown such “overwhelming support”.
Sheila said: “These people just want to see children be able to access the sea in a safe environment. Eventually it might be nice to get them to a good standard of surfing and possibly help them in competition situations.”