Meet the Team

Amanda Kelsey

Amanda is currently on Maternity leave, with all our best wishes and will hopefully be returning to the team sometime soon.

Competition Committee

Andrea Richardson

I first got on a paddle board in spring 2015 and immediately fell in love with the sport, the training, and the sup community. I enjoy teaching others the joys of SUP as a BSUPA Instructor. In 2016 I achieved a 3rd place at the Head of Dart and in 2017 after a fantastic year, I won female Champion at both the N1SCO National and European Championships. In 2018 I joined the Naish UK Rider team and also took on the role of Naish UK Team Manager.

Kerry Baker

I’m Kerry and I have been supping since 2010. I started racing during the winter of 2014 at the mighty BaySUP Frostbite Race Series and the welcome was so warm I have never looked back. 2015 I raced 12’6” finishing 3rd with UKSUP 2016 I entered the world of Naish One Design racing finishing 1st 2017 was a dreamy one competing for my adopted country Wales at the ISA Worlds in Denmark as a Naish team rider. My best result was 13th in the Sprints. I also raced 14’ UKSUP and finished joint 1st with my compadre Sarah Thornely. It has to be said I’m a surfer at heart and I hope to take this forward during 2018 competing on the BSUPA UK tour. During the day I go by the name of Mrs Baker attempting to pull off a career as a teacher and be mum to my beautiful boy Noah Buzz.

Fiona Batson

Hi, I’m Fiona and was introduced to SUP more than 10yrs ago. Since 2015 have organised the British SUP Club Champs and more recently taken on the Head of the Dart as well as coordinating the SUP programme for the National Water Sports Festival plus help Bray Lake Watersports with their club racing. I am keen to help grow participation in the UK race scene by having fun, friendly, well organised events that paddlers enjoy taking part in.

Glenn Eldridge

I firmly believe that everyone is capable of getting out in the sea experiencing things they would never have thought able to when given the right tuition and support – the Ocean Skills Clinic is the perfect way to do this. As a grommet I would take every opportunity to get in the sea, cycling six miles to Fistral beach armed with a boogie board, fluorescent zinc sunblock and enough jam sandwiches to keep me going for twelve hours! I have spent a life time immersed in the ocean, competing, working as a professional beach lifeguard in the UK and Australia. As a result I have developed a unique set of skills; together with my Sports Science Masters degree I am able to pass on a wealth of practical information combined with the latest in sport science research.

Dr Bryce Dyer

I am an avid SUP paddler and academic whose research field is the philosophy, design or performance analysis of technology used in elite sport. I have competed to national or international level across 6 different sports.

Nick Watt

I founded BaySUP with Matt French & Dennis Mears after a a forum thread where a few guys were talking about setting up clubs in various areas. We all paddled in the same area and we could see the potential so after a few more posts, we met in September 2009 for our first paddle which went from Durley Chine to Boscombe and back. BaySUP was born. Myself and BaySUP believe passionately in grass roots level competition. Each year we see people come to our series to do their first races and it’s a great feeling when you see them get the bug and start racing nationally. Now it’s a case of growing and developing it which will take time! It’s a good idea to get a committee as soon as you can so you can steer things in the right direction as well as get help with tasks. The club network is the lifeblood of the sport and fundamental to the future. It’s not rocket science and we are not inventing the wheel here, we are just doing what is done in other watersports in the UK and around the globe. Hopefully being able to secure funding through Sport England to benefit paddlers has to be a key part to the growth.

Events Committee

Sarah Thornely

Hi, I'm Sarah and I have been paddling for 6 years and although never particularly sporty, I have competed for most of those years.   I am the 2017 joint National UK Champion in the 14' Class.   I am also a qualified ASI Instructor for Blue Chip in Surrey and nothing gives me greater pleasure than getting people on the water and inspiring them on their SUP journey.  I play SUP Polo and my next challenge is to learn to SUP Surf.  I have met and made some wonderful friends through this lovely sport.

Anni Ridsdill Smith

Hi, I am Anni and I have been enjoying SUP racing for several years. I was delighted to compete in the UK’s first ever ladies invitational SUP race at the Southampton Boat Show in 2013. I manage the Frangipani SUP race team in Essex and I’m really keen to help people get into SUP racing, particularly women. I’m looking forward to making many new friends through GBSUP.

Antony Thornely

To be brutally honest, as a cyclist and fond lover of land, mine has not been a calling into the SUP world, more like a inevitable submission (due to my wife's love of the sport!)  Over the last few years I have competed in sup.bike.run, N1SCO One racing and the Trent100 Challenge.  The one thing that is apparent to me is the community feel to the sport.  People are looking out for each other and this is what I want to be part of.   Antony

Steve Trott

I entered the Head of the Dart to see what it was all about and in 2014 found myself racing a Naish One. Since then I’ve pretty much raced as much as I can both in the UK, France, Spain and of course the true Mecca of SUP that is Jersey. For me, it’s more about the social and funnily enough the more events you enter, the more great places you visit whilst meeting great people from all walks of life. Some of my best friends are the people I've had had the fierce battles with somewhere in the middle of the pack. I’m also constantly in ore, not only of the elite girls and guys who win the events but of the those in there late 50’s and 60’s, who are the truly remarkable athletes.