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Behind the company with Ally Findlay of …
GLASGOW
PADDLEBOARDERS CO
PHOTOS : GLASGOW PADDLEBOARDERS CO ALLY FOUNDED AND RUNS GLASGOW PADDLEBOARDERS CO . WHO ARE A WATER SKILLS ACADEMY AFFILIATED SUP SCHOOL AND PADDLEBOARDING COMMUNITY WITH WATER EDUCATION AT ITS CORE . THEY RUN TRIPS AND LESSONS TO SUPPORT PEOPLE AT THE BEGINNING OF THEIR SUP JOURNEYS AND THOSE WITH MORE EXPERIENCE LOOKING FOR ADVENTURE . THEY OPERATE IN LOCH LOMOND , THE TROSSACHS NATIONAL PARK , AND AROUND THE FORTH AND CLYDE CANAL . THE CLUB OPERATES THURSDAY AND FRIDAY EVENINGS THROUGHOUT THE SPRING AND SUMMER MONTHS .
Where / how did you discover SUP ? I first discovered SUP back in 2010 . I had finished my training as a primary teacher and moved up to Kirriemuir . ISUPs were taking off , and I hired one with a good friend to go surfing !
Talk us through how the group started . After hiring boards for a few years , one of my friends bought a Red 10 ’ 8 from SUP Inflatables . I had heard a lot about Gladiator but , at that point , couldn ’ t get it in the UK . I ended up copying him because of complete FOMO . I then started a Facebook group , wondering who paddled in and around Glasgow . Initially , it started as social paddling with around 20 people and grew from there .
Talk a little about your role within Glasgow Paddleboarders Co and what it entails . Technically speaking , I ’ m the boss . I run the business , and we offer an intro to sup lessons , adventure trips and holidays all around Loch Lomond and the national park and on the Forth and Clyde Canal at a wee place called Cadder Wharf , Bishopbriggs , just outside the city . Around ten instructors work with us to deliver lessons and trips from April to October .
We are also retailers of Gladiator , Anomy and SIC boards . We also love the Blackfish range of paddles and sell these too . Many people come to us for advice about which board is right for them . So much like going to a bike shop to get a bike fitting , we do the same with boards and paddles .
The heart of the business is the membership . We have over 150 members that want to be involved with the social aspect of paddling . It ’ s a fantastic group full of like-minded people who want to know how to paddle well but also safely .
Part of the business is also being a trainer for Water Skills Academy , so I deliver training for sup safety and rescue and also sup instructors at the start of their pathway to learning .