Every year we collaborate with local makers, artists and craft people to develop some truly special bespoke Christmas gifts for the Kingdom and Sparrow team.
This year we worked with Falmouth based No Ambition Surf Club Lee who handsculpted and designed for us a herd of wooden bellyboards, one for each member of the team.
With the Kingdom and Sparrow studio happily thriving in the sea-surrounded town of Falmouth and with activities involving the sea being the most dominant past times throughout the majority of the year it just makes sense to find gifts that will actually be used and enjoyed.
As well as looking epic, each surfboard is made from
eco-conscious material, which obviously appeals to our BCorp sensibilities. We’d much prefer to see these boards on the beaches than the thousands of discarded ‘cheap and not cheerful’ broken body boards piled up at the end of each summer day.
The plinths were also designed by Lee with the help of fellow creative Niall Jones of Benthos Surf Company where the personalised name tags were 3D printed from Cornish
ghost nets.
Lee is a professional boat builder by trade and his expertise across the watercraft world is clearly demonstrated in the techniques he uses and the final products. He started up ‘No Ambition Surf Club’ with an idea of making the water more accessible. For people living near the coast surfing is one of those sports that calls to you, but can be daunting to start.
Wild swimming has become increasingly popular and has been so beneficial in encouraging people into the water, and Lee’s wooden surfcrafts have opened up the world of wave catching. By taking away the imposing idea of standing on a massive board and finding your balance these crafty wooden belly boards take the concept of surfing back to basics and just encourage the rider to feel the thrill of catching the wave and being swept back towards shore.
Lee Garrathy, Founder of No Ambition Surf Club.
I’ve been a boatbuilder since I was 16 years old and have always had a passion for woodwork. My other passion is surfing and the sea! I’ve recently launched No Ambition Surf Club to combine both.
I really enjoy creating products that bring joy to other people and help them to have fun in the water, because that’s what makes me happiest too. I love that bellyboarding and bodysurfing are so accessible as well. You don’t have to be an experienced surfer to get in and ride the waves and I want to help people to see that.
I hand-shape all of my bellyboards and handplanes in my workshop just outside of Falmouth using sustainable materials. Boatbuilding is very precise and orderly, so it’s been pretty liberating to do things a little more loosely and get creative with bright, bold colours and patterns. I’ve especially been loving creating bespoke designs for people, like this amazing commission for the team at Kingdom & Sparrow.
