Category: News

Dear valued customers,

I’m reaching out today with important news that affects not only my business but several others in our community.

On Friday, May 10th, a collective email dropped like a bombshell, delivering the unfortunate news: the Padstow Christmas Festival, a highly anticipated event in our annual calendar, will not grace our December this year. For many of us, this event isn’t just about festivities; it’s a cornerstone of our business strategy, providing a vital opportunity to showcase our offerings and connect with our customers.

The cancellation of the festival isn’t merely a matter of missing out on merry-making; it’s a financial blow that ripples through our businesses. Collectively, we’re facing the loss of £50,000 in deposits which we are all fighting to get back!  This figure represents not only monetary loss but also countless hours of hard work, investment, and anticipation.

Despite this setback, we remain committed to serving you, our loyal customers, with the same dedication and quality you’ve come to expect from us. Your support means everything to us, especially during times like these.

As we navigate this unexpected turn of events, we’re exploring alternative ways to connect with you and ensure that the spirit of the season lives on. Please keep a close eye on my social media platforms to see where you can find me during the festive season.

Thank you for standing by us during this challenging time. Together, we’ll find a way forward.

Warm regards,

Anouska & Matt

Our beautiful Casey (The face of The Cornish Surfer brand) had a tragic accident on Sunday 11th April that resulted in a life changing spinal cord injury.
Casey fell off her mountain bike whilst riding with her partner and friends, fracturing her spine and requiring a lengthy 6 hour emergency surgery once she had been airlifted to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.
After waking up from her surgery, Casey and her family were given the terrifying news that she was unlikely to ever walk again as the damage to her spinal nerves had been so devastating.

Currently Casey has no feeling or movement from the waist down, which has meant requiring 24 hour care from others (bathing, dressing etc), becoming incontinent and requiring specialist equipment to assist her out of bed.
She has also been in extreme pain since the accident, not only dealing with back and leg pains but recovering from a head injury and rib fracture as well as experiencing low blood pressure and pain when eating.

Once she has recovered from surgery and is medically stable enough, Casey will be transferred to the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre in Salisbury where she will receive 3-6 months of rehabilitation before she is able to return home.

Coming to terms with her injury and how different her future looks has been devastating for Casey, her partner and family, who have spent as much time by her side as allowed with the current COVID restrictions.

How can you help?

As Casey runs her own business, she will be receiving no income for as long as she is unable to work. Jay is currently spending as much time as possible by Casey’s side and is also experiencing loss of income.
With a new house, mortgage repayments and bills to cover, the money raised will help to alleviate the financial strain from both of them so they can focus on Casey’s recovery and rehabilitation.

When Casey is transferred to Salisbury, donations will help with travel costs for Jay as the rehabilitation facility is over 150 miles away from their home in Cornwall.
Further down the track, major adjustments will need to be made to their home to ensure it is wheelchair accessible and Casey will require specialist equipment installed so that it is safe for her to return home.

Please consider donating to help make this devastating time a little easier and share this fundraiser far and wide so we can get Casey the help that she needs.
Casey, Jay and her family will be extremely grateful for every penny we are able to raise to help her on her recovery and rehabilitation journey.

DONATE:  https://gofund.me/775ac1e7

Just a quick announcement to let all our favourite follower’s know that we have made some fantastic progress making new partnerships with a British textile company, here in Britain! Yay.  This has allowed us to be more hands on perfecting the feel of our product range, and colour ways, whilst treading lightly with an eco conscious mind.

Together we have created the most sumptuously soft range of Blankets and Cushions that carry the same look of our current stock but feel even better!!

Due to a high interest in our new colours we have made it possible to pre-order our new items until the stock arrives.  Hurry though, we would hate for you to miss out.

It’s time to wish The Cornish Surfer a Happy Birthday!  Yes it went quick didn’t it and what a year its been for The Cornish Surfer.  We have learnt so much, made loads of mistakes but ultimately I think I have finally managed the art of being patient, so that its self is worth a huge pat on the back!

I know there are many of you out there that dream of setting up your own business one day.   With the global pandemic set upon us, so many changes are going on all around us.  Working from home in your pjs has become the norm with many of us jumping ship and moving to more remote locations.   Perhaps now is a better time than ever as we’re not restricted to that office environment anymore.

If I could offer anyone advice about going solo and setting up a business of their dreams, then I would offer you the same advice as a very good friend of mine once said “never lose sight of what you are aiming to achieve”. ‘Melika Imoru’.  For me sourcing sustainable suppliers that could offer quality over quantity was essential to our core business, we wouldn’t have survived without it.  I have learnt so much and I am grateful for all of those challenging moments as it has forced me to grow as a person and over come what felt at times impossible.  Moving forward from our first year,  I am now filled with confidence and excitement when designing and developing new products and our suppliers and artists that we have chosen to work with are ultimately responsible for that.

We have some beautiful products launching this summer & Autumn so you guys are all in for a real treat.

As its our Birthday we will be doing a ‘Giveaway’ on our luxury items via Instagram & Facebook, so keep your eyes peeled.

Most importantly THANK YOU so much for supporting our small business through a global pandemic.

Matt & Anouska

It is the season for comfort dressing and there’s nothing more reassuring than snuggling up into the softest of blankets and cushions at home after a long day walking out doors or around the four walls of your living room!

With this week’s announcement from Boris Johnson, I think it may be a little more time until the restrictions ease up, so you have plenty of time to get your house in check before you open up your windows to the fresh spring air.

So if you’re looking for real comfort and share a love for the softest of fabrics you’re looking in the right place.  With spring on the horizon and the fresh smells of daffodils soon to be floating through your window, its time to freshen up your home decor and give your much loved sofa or bedroom a fresh new lift.

If you’re like me I just have to keep myself busy, so this week (brought on from lockdown boredom) I’ve started painting my walls different colours to match the arrival of my new blankets and cushions (on sale from April).

The Cornish Surfer offers a splash of bold statement pieces for the home whilst indulging in the most luxuriously soft fabrics.  We now offer many of our items in a variety of different colours to help cover everyones home decor palette, ranging from soft coastal tones for calm and tranquility to bold show off statement pieces that knock the socks off your quests when they walk into you home.  Our new colours will be coastal blues and Turquoise.

And to jazz things up a bit our fine bone china range will compliment the tones of our soft furnishings, so when you leave your morning cuppa by the bed or next to the sofa, you get away with looking effortlessly stylish and not messy!

We’ve had such fantastic exposure from Coast magazine this month which I am so excited to share with you.

Our fine bone china cup & saucer was listed ‘Find Of The Month’ which thrilled me because these are the products I am most proud of from a creative point of view.  The design although looks simple was really tricky to apply onto the china and there was much back and forth with the team at the factory.  This design ended up being dedicated to one person to apply at the factory and had to be watched by eye when the design was applied.

Theres nothing like a good excuse to shut down the computer because the weekends approaching.  This weekend required a change of scenery, although I love a beach and woodland walks, we set out on a micro-adventure through boggy marsh and icy cold winds.

We wrapped ourselves up from head to toe and took a short drive up to the Cheese Ring on the top of the Moors.  It is truly amazing how a lock down can open up so many new locations that our right on our door steps, that we haven’t discovered or adventured out to before.

Yet again Matts captured some stunning photography, so here I share them with you.

I can’t help but say I do love a good lock down.  I was so going to say its a gentle reminder, but actually its a bit of a reality check on one’s way of life.

We have such busy lives these days and we very rarely stop, breathe and take time to look up and see things around us that we take for granted.

Last weekend the sun was out in it’s full glory and chose to sparkle over us on our family adventure walk at the top of  Mount Edgecombe.  We walked for miles and didn’t see a single sole, which we felt very proud of.

We have never walked the tops of Mount Edgecombe before, as my stomach usually leads me towards a cafe where I can have a treat, but with everything closed we chose a different path. A path that lead us through a  variety of wide open spaces, woodland walks with a mix of stunning panoramic sea views over Rame Head (heritage coastline) and Plymouth sound.  It’s an absolute must if you live locally at the moment.

If you’re in to your wildlife, you’re very likely to see flocks of  wild deer and sheep running across the hill tops.

If any of you know me personally, then yes I did sneak into my back pack some fresh coffee and some treats to keep us all going.  My daughter thought I was the best thing going! :)

Keep safe & much love from us at The Cornish Surfer.

Matt & Anouska

Why is it so important to support local businesses & new independent brands like The Cornish Surfer?  Well I happen to know the answer to this question because we at The Cornish Surfer set out to make our stamp in the retail world in April 2020.  Little did we know we were about to enter the most challenging times in history in the retail sector.  Thank goodness we invested in a good website, otherwise we would have fallen flat on our face before we had even started. High five to #trimdesigns

In supporting local brands, small businesses and sole traders you keep the high streets alive and the big chains at bay.  You keep talented artists and creatives alive (literally) and your local economy thriving.  Let’s keep our local towns and villages thriving.

Although todays world of trading is one heck of a hill to climb, I do love a challenge.  It keeps me on my toes and my brain ticking away, always searching for new opportunities and possibilities.  We are on an adventure and I am so happy to be part of this creative bubble.  To be able to wake up each morning and do something you love is never taken for granted.  With every new order that pops into my inbox my heart beats with a warmer glow and if I’m feeling energetic a little dance too!

Did you know that Cornish small businesses make up a high proportion of the economy than in most areas of the UK?

Thats right, us Cornish folk are full of original inspirational and independant artists,  so by buying local you keep our little high streets alive and the shelves full of bespoke items that may be hard to find else where.

Thats right guys, The Cornish Surfer is launching new colours next month and new product lines in time for Christmas.  All of which have been designed to bring warmth and comfort to you in your home.

First up we at The Cornish Surfer must THANK YOU for supporting us on our Journey so far, without you we wouldn’t be here now.  Thank you for all our social media Likes, follows and comments, these little taps from your finger tips keeps us on track and inspired to share more wonderful pictures and lifestyle aspirations with you.

So over the summer our online sales have been going incredibly well, which means we have been able to develop our brand with new colours and products for this season and 2021.  We can’t wait to share our Cornish delights with you.

Keep an eye on our website and social media post for new product releases as they will be staggered over the coming weeks.

It is time to Celebrate the year so far.

We at The Cornish Surfer launched a new business in the middle of a pandemic. Not only did we time this so well our first child hit the terrible twos!  What perfect timing!

So whilst my husband and I tried to skilfully master the ever changing behavioural needs of our two year old, we kept each other going and went to town on building up our social media presence and made some fantastic new relationships with suppliers and retails stores. You know who you are so thank you!

We are busy working on investing in new product ranges and new colours which is incredibly exciting.  I now just need to master the art of being a bit more patient.  I am learning alot from this industry.  Its certainly a different world from Advertising where everything was expected to be done yesterday!

This is a big thank you to all of you that have supported us online and in-store.  Be sure to know that with every sale I will certainly be doing a little dance around the room to celebrate!

Special Offer:  Please find online discounts available

My commute to work still starts with a takeaway flat white from my local coffee shop @Summink Different.  A habit i can’t seem to shift from working so many years in London. I needed it with  London’s fast pace lifestyle.  I always seem to be in a rush, a 24 hour rush hour!   After my hour commute into London Waterloo, a bus trip across Waterloo bridge, I hit the cobbled streets of Covent garden. I used to swing by my favourite coffee shop, Monmouth and then The Nordic Bakery for my freshly baked croissant fix before hitting the office at Hogarth, the worlds largest Advertising Agency.

Now things are very different. I start my day at a leisurely pace by crossing the road with my two year old in tow, through a quaint little fishing village, whilst stopping and chatting to a dozen locals on route.  I’ve put a stop to my croissant addiction but everyday I stop for a coffee and have a chat to Heidi, the friendliest cafe owner I know.  I always leave her with a spring in my step.  Perhaps its because her coffee is so good and her service is always with a smile.

We have published our first advertisement in Cornwall Life this month and the phone has started ringing and the orders are becoming more consistent….this week!

We have also been lucky enough to feature in the Metro (London paper) which has driven up some sales in the London area.  Thank you…you know who you are! :)

Next month (released this month) we feature again in ‘Cornwall Life’ and ‘My Cornwall’ with a story behind the brand, so stay tuned and grab yourself a copy,. Theres no better way to have a good read from your deckchair with your favourite cuppa and find out what’s happening in Cornwall.

Week by week brings uncertainties with the changes of Covid 19.  Challenging times but we at The Cornish Surfer are playing by the rules and taking it day by day with a positive attitude. I have never felt so excited to hear the landline ring! Usually the phone only rings in the early hours of the morning from our friends checking for surf reports!

When the waves are taking a break, we certainly don’t at The Cornish Surfer. The Cornish Surfer are a family of extreme water babies, so we try and turn our hand to anything that moves fast on the water.  We took up Windsurfing in 2011 when we moved further out of London to Datchet, where they had an epic water sports facility at Queen Mother Reservoir.  The reservoir was spectacularly large with 500 acres of water and 1.5 miles across, so it gave us a real sense of being free when out on the water.  As water lovers we became ‘Platinum’ members of the club and spent all of our free time out on the water. After-all the training clinics were free and we had access to unlimited kit hire. In-fact even the staff were annoyed at how much time we spent out on the water.

Thanks to Matt Chapman for an awesome air, he’s our local windsurfing hero :)

Aside from the spectacular collaboration of the Thursday night ‘clap for our carers’ session from our deck, we at The Cornish Surfer would like to be more involved with supporting the great work that our NHS is currently enduring.

Thankfully with a little graceful encouragement from our friends at the ‘Summink Different cafe’, we received a nomination to ‘run for heroes’ by enduring the 5k run. It was time to dust off those trainers and get those little legs moving in the direction that would help support the greater good!

There’s a storm brewing out at sea and the waves are due to hit the Cornish coast, but before they do we are making the most of the flat calm turquoise seas and our awesome sunny days.
So how do us Cornish folk keep occupied whilst the lock down on surfing is in force during Covid 19? We get excited by running around the house in wetsuits and filling up the paddling pool so Coco, our little one can climatise to the cold water before we throw her in the sea. Start them young and all that jazz. Don’t worry we will wrap her up in The Sennen cosy mini blanket afterwards so she is all snug and cosy.

Feeling over exercised?
Lately our focus on setting up ‘The Cornish Surfer’ business took priority over exercise, but with covid-19 in force our focus has certainly shifted and we’re now prioritising a beach walk activity as a family or I get an hour to myself and go for a run along the beach. Like many of us I rarely have time to take a moment for myself and adventure out to explore the most amazing sceneries we have just on our door step. Our local Cornish coastline is breath-taking, with gigantic cliff tops and endless grey sandy beaches that stretch out for miles and miles. Our beach is surrounded by protruding rocks, rugged rock pools and hide away caves which our daughter loves to explore in and get soaked. She loves nothing better than to be wrapped up in her Sennen Cosy baby blanket. On our return home to the Cornish Surfer headquarters, nothing quite beats that moment of snuggling up on the sofa in my large Sennen Cosy blanket, whilst my husband puts the kettle on and pours me a delicious cup of tea in my Ocean 360 Cornish mug.

Whilst I would be shot by most for praying for no surf at the moment, in these uncertain times with the new guidelines in place for ‘no traveling to surf spots’, I find my husband staring out to sea, with his face pressed against the window… a lost, confused expression upon his face.   What is one to do with themselves when there is no surf?….. Eat homemade banana cake! Woohoo. There’s always a silver lining to every cloud.

Check out a couple of tips below to make your evening quarantine more enjoyable and your children entertained.

Surf trips are just about our favourite thing to do as a family. It’s why we absolutely knew we had to move back to Cornwall and start up a brand ‘The Cornish Surfer. Before we did so, we were lucky enough to travel around the world experiencing the best surf our planet has to offer. Over the years we have found some amazing places to visit and where you can stay, which we would love to share with you…

No 1 –  The Maldives – Hudarinfushi is by far the best spot surfed.  Although the dynamics of the island has changed a little since we visted you can now only surf Lohi’s if you are a resident of the hotel and the boat trips to other surf spots have become quite expensive.  Allot of our friends now opt to do the boat trip, which takes you to all of the best surf spots at un-crowed times. Medium to advanced surfers.

No 2:  – Morocco – Taghazute.  This is a great place for surfing and super cheap.  The flights are very reasonably priced and there are many options for either luxing it up in some of the 5 star hotels or Air b&b has become very popular in this small town. All levels of surfers. My fav was Banana beach but my husband surfer Anchor Point allot.

We recommend staying at Sol House or the Hyatt Place Hotel, Taghazout Bay, both are family friendly hotels.

No 3 -Mauritus – Le Morne

If like us, you turn to any watersport activity, Mauritius is amazing for surfing and windsurfing off the same beach.  Check out Le Morne.  You can hire windsurf kit right on the beach.

We stayed just up the coast in Bel Ombre at an all-inclusive 5 star resort ‘Herritage Awali’.  Beautifully furnished. This hotel sits next door to the  Herritage Le telfair which is one of the small leading hotels of the world. The C Beach club is worth a visit for an after surf lunch or an early evening cocktail.

We both grew up by the sea, in a small fishing village on Cornwall’s south coast. But as life often does for young people in Cornwall, job opportunities took us away from our home, to the bright lights of the city.

For many years, London life was exciting, and we grabbed every opportunity it had to offer. But the call of the sea was always strong and we knew that when we started our own family, it would be back in Cornwall. Every chance we had to come home, we took. Stealing weekends away to throw ourselves in to the Cornish surf, and eventually, to start the search for our home by the sea.

Like so many people who set out to make a big change in their lives, our story was not without challenge. In both our professional and personal lives we came up against barrier after barrier that made our dream of moving back to Cornwall seem impossible at times.

Packing for a surf trip can be incredibly exciting.

For Matt, it’s this moment when he turns into a child all over again, the electricity of anticipation literally bouncing out of him.

As seasoned surfers, it’s second nature now, we can pack on autopilot, (or while bouncing up and down with excitement!)

However for those that don’t often take this type of trip it can be a little daunting working out what to pack and, if you’re going abroad, which airlines allow surfboards for free.

Here’s our top tips for a ‘surf-trip essentials’ packing list. Forget these items at your peril!

Creating our brand has taken us on quite a journey of discovery when it comes to the sustainable sourcing of suppliers and products. As ocean lovers, it was important to us that in creating The Cornish Surfer, we were able to limit our footprint and to have a positive impact, however small.

When we were creating prototypes for our cushion range, I was shocked to find how unethical most of the cushion fillers were on the marketplace today. But how could we create that balance between luxurious comfort and eco conscience? We couldn’t just sit back and stuff our cushions with unethical fibre.

Days rolled into weeks and weeks rolled into months before we found one of the most eco-friendly cushion fillers out there. We are so proud to have found a company in Britain that could help us make a bespoke sized eco-friendly cushion insert, made from recycled plastic bottles. Hooray!

It became apparent that with a bit of effort on our part we could really help contribute to safeguarding our planet.  So, we got to work and focused our attention on what type of materials were eco-friendly for the development of all our products. Sifting through which factories were environmentally ethical and paid particular focus on the management of production waste.  All these factors helped contribute to us developing our ethos.