Gareth John from Bishops Frome takes to the waves this weekend in a bid to capture the British Kneeboard Championships. (From Hereford Times)

Gareth John from Bishops Frome takes to the waves this weekend in a bid to capture the British Kneeboard Championships.

8:00am Monday 22nd November 2010 in Other

SURFER Gareth John will be taking to the waves this weekend when he competes in the British Kneeboard Championships.

Kneeboarding is just like normal surfing except that surfers stay on their knees on the board and Gareth, who has been enjoying the sport for around three years, is looking forward to taking part in his first national competition.

The British national championships are being held at the British surfers’ Mecca, Newquay, in Cornwall, on Saturday. The event takes place at Fistral Beach.

Gareth surfs whenever he can, although living in Bishops Frome means he is always at least two and a half hours drive from a beach.

“It means a lot of very early starts. I like to get to Cornwall whenever I can and I often go to beaches in South Wales, the Gower for example,” Gareth explained.

Gareth’s board looks like a traditional surfboard but it is wider and has places for the surfer to put their knees.

He is a member of the British Kneeboard Club. He is being sponsored in his first foray into competitive surfing by Charringtons Floors and Interiors of West Malvern.