It has been a whole year since we got the keys, and became the new owners of Worthing Watersports 😁 Over the past year, Lucy Venn and I have been trying to record our crazy journey. Reliving what we’ve done, through these images and videos has been pretty emotional. So many forgotten moments, it’s been such a blur! Towards the end of Covid, I decided I needed a change of job and lifestyle. Luckily an opportunity soon presented itself. I think initially I was very naive as to what I was about to take on, and had I known how hard it was going to be, I’m not sure I would have gone through with it - scary thought! Anyway…. we moved August 2021 into a flat above the shop, renovated a few rooms as quickly as we could to make it feel like home, and on the 14th of December 2021 received the keys to the Worthing Watersports shop. Since then it has been a whirlwind of learning on the job, whilst trying to renovate the shop and to create a vision I had early on for the business. “Community feel across all watersports!” I am not sure we could have or would have been able to work any harder than we have this past year. In August we hit a new level of exhaustion when a fresh-faced enthusiastic Marcus Stuartwalked into the shop and saved us. We will forever be incredibly grateful for his timing and how quickly he engaged in our new store, saw our vision, and all with a huge smile on his face 😁 There are so many people we need to thank for their support and the little pep talks that have been given to us along the way. It’s amazing how quickly we felt a part of the local community, and we are hugely grateful for that. A few but not all thank you’s: (as I will definitely miss someone, so sorry in advance!) Nik Baker for sponsoring me for countless years and putting up with my millions of questions this year! David Latham for teaching me how to use tools from a young age, and getting me to so many windsurfing events! My mum for lots of emotional support, and helping in the shop during the summer when she had no idea what a windsurfing board was! haha Sam Barnes at Zephyr Sawmills for being an absolute legend with the tree work, and giving up several of his weekends to get stuck in with the shop renovations. Alfie Phillips for always believing in me and being the big roller 💪 George Bowles for building the fine-crafted board rack in the window! Ben Grist for teaching me a lot of the skills that I needed to apply this year! Tim Frampton for pinching our biscuits 🍪 😉 and dragging me out the shop for a wing session when I have had enough! Ian Dewberry and Giles for being our first customers, and always being positive when coming in the shop! Chris Calvert for lots of retail advice, and general phone Jacker banter - even when I was at my wits end! Neville Vooght our neighbor, for always checking in on us, endless positive support, for lending us tools, and for amazing balloon skills! Eunice Bergin for her endless high-quality shots of the water action and checking up on us on her lunchtime walks 🙂 Dean Dickinson! Total legend for recognizing when I needed help! Graham for business guidance! Alex for being confident, coming into our shop, and introducing us to Hove Lagoon so early on. Always frothing for a session too! To all the customers that popped their noses in and asked how we were getting on! So many offered to help in so many different ways, its so nice to have that connection. and of course Lucy! she had even less of an idea of what she was walking into, but has never given up! Absolutely no way i could have done this without her! Much better eye than me for shop layout than me! We have so many more plans for the next few years, but we really just need to take a step back and reflect on what has just happened! Hopefully, we can have more time on the water and really start to enjoy the ride going forward! Now lets have some fun! PEACE ✌️