PRTP19
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HH: Huge amounts of research and development have
gone in to the sport as a whole, but in particular the
area of inflatable SUPS. Brands like Red Paddle Co,
Starboard and Fanatic, have paved the way in that
respect. It’s now more accessible and affordable as a
hobby that can be enjoyed on your own or shared
with family or friends (even the four legged ones!).
Paddle Round The Piers co-chair
Rob Pelling and Hannah
Hampshire – co-founder of Red
Snapper Sports and founder of
Oceans Connected, talk stand up
paddle boarding, how it has grown
as a sport and the role that ocean
brands play in ocean conservation.
RP: PRTP takes its environmental impact very
seriously. Since 2017 we began encouraging vendors
to use alternatives such as Biodegradable products
and in 2018 we advised all vendors they must stay
away from single-use plastic, making the festival
circa 95% single-use plastic free and we hope to keep
improving that to reach 100%.
RP: Great to have you back at PRTP! What have the
last 12 months looked like for Red Snapper and the
paddle board industry as a whole?
HH: It’s vitally important for us to work with
organisations that share the same ethos and are keen
to promote a positive ‘blue’ message. I have always
been inspired by the countless ocean advocates that I
have crossed paths with, so I decided to take positive
action. On June 8th in line with World Oceans Day, I
launched Oceans Connected in association with Red
Snapper Sports. Its purpose is to raise awareness and
funding for ocean projects in the UK and
Internationally. We will have an active presence at
PRTP as part of the launch and will again be
partnering with Pet-Fi, who have organized a morning
walk and beach clean before the Doggie Paddle.
Together we want to connect like-minded dog owners
who care about the planet. There will be a number of
initiatives launched under the hashtags
#pawsfortheplanet
HH: Nice to be back! SUP remains the fastest growing
sport globally. It’s steeped in history and heritage.
The Hawaiians are perhaps still the most well-known
of the ancient ocean advocates and have spread the
spirit of Aloha for hundreds of years. As a brand, we
want to take that same message forward to the next
generation of ocean users.
RP: We’ve certainly seen SUPs popularity grow at
PRTP. We even added the Doggie Paddle! The festival
has always been dog-friendly so it felt like a natural
progression to have a dedicated ‘Doggie Village’,
which has been curated by Jen Stevens of Pet-Fi, who
is also responsible for bringing the World record
attempt for ‘The Most Dogs and their people doing a
simultaneous group paddle board’, which I
understand is being supported by Red Snapper?
HH: That’s right. We’ll have a number of demo boards
on site, which we will be lending to anybody who
wants to take part!
RP: What a great idea – and something that people
can get behind that doesn‘t involve them getting wet!
For this or any of our other events, register now via
our website. paddleroundthepier.com
RP: As the event has grown we have noticed more
brands launching inflatable boards. Why is that?
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