Shelter to Sea: How windsurfing is changing lives!
- Team OTC
- Jul 11
- 3 min read
In a quiet corner of the Dorset coast, something extraordinary is happening. Beneath the wind-whipped sails and sunlit swell of Portland Harbour, a group of individuals who have experienced homelessness are discovering new balance — both on the water and in their lives.
This unlikely transformation comes through a partnership between The Bus Shelter Dorset, a local charity supporting people out of homelessness, and The Official Test Centre, a team of watersports instructors passionate about sharing the healing power of the sea. What started as a one-off windsurfing course has grown into a life-changing program — one that reconnects people with their own resilience, confidence, and community.
By Emma Maguire.
Jemma I'ons Housing Manager at The Bus Shelter, Dorset said: “I love windsurfing, and my family’s always been out on the water,” one of the program’s founders explains. “But working at the shelter, I realised that many of the residents — people who’ve lived here in Weymouth all their lives — had never even been in the sea. It just felt wrong that something so powerful, so good, was right on their doorstep but completely out of reach.”
Determined to change that, she reached out to Kerry Knight, who runs Wellbeing Windsurfing at The OTC. “We talked about how impactful those sessions are for school kids, and I wondered — why can’t we do the same for adults?” she recalls.
With support from the Anton Jürgens Charitable Trust and an initial grant, the first six-week course launched three years ago, welcoming four residents from The Bus Shelter onto the water for the very first time. The impact was immediate.
“You could see the change,” she says. “It wasn’t just learning to windsurf — it was about taking on a challenge, sticking with it, and experiencing something completely outside their comfort zone. Some loved it. Some struggled. But every single one of them grew.”
That growth isn’t limited to technique on the water. It shows up in body language, in social connection, in the small but significant shift of someone starting to believe in their own future.
The Bus Shelter itself has come a long way from its beginnings as a converted double-decker bus offering emergency sleep space. Now a thriving community hub with 12 private rooms, a communal kitchen, and a dedicated support team, it offers tailored help for each resident — from mental health and addiction support to job training and long-term housing solutions. Five new micro flats were recently opened to offer a stepping-stone to independence.
The windsurfing project is just one piece of this larger puzzle, but it’s become a powerful symbol of what’s possible.
“There’s something about the sea — the openness, the unpredictability — that reflects life in a way few other things do,” she reflects. “When you’re out there, balancing on the board, you can’t fake anything. You have to adapt, trust yourself, and keep going.”
And for those who’ve lived through the chaos and isolation of homelessness, that metaphor resonates deeply.
“We all deserve a chance to feel that freedom,” she says. “To try something hard, to fall, to get up, and to be cheered on while we do it. That’s what this is about.”
The project continues to run each year, dependent on funding and the generosity of local partners. “We’d love to keep growing it,” she adds. “If more people or businesses can support us, we can offer this experience to even more people.”
For now, the sails are up, the sea is calling — and for those ready to ride the wind, a new kind of journey is just beginning.
If there are any businesses reading this and you would like to fund life-changing opportunities for The Bus Shelter Dorset then Jemma would love to hear from you. Alternatively, if you run a business and have an opportunity for The Bus Shelter Dorset service users to experience outdoor adventures, please get in touch with Jemma, thebusshelterdorset@gmail.com or phone 07341 989950.
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