By Hannah | Part of the BGSC Community
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In May 2024 I came back to Bristol and the UK having been away for a little over 2 years. Bristol is my hometown so I already had friends here, but for anyone who’s also moved away and come back, you’ll know that life moves differently. Those who have stayed are often very settled and content and busy about their daily routines. I, however, was 29, heartbroken, confused, very lost, back at my parents house, and very unsure of what to do with my life next.
Things hadn’t turned out how I had wanted them to. Life throws us these curve balls sometimes and this one really knocked me off course. I was spiralling into a very dark place, one I never thought I’d find myself in as someone who’s always looked on the brighter side of life, but now appreciate that being human means we can all be susceptible given the right (or rather wrong) circumstances. In addition to this, if you open up the whole world as a place of opportunity, it can feel paralysingly overwhelming to work out where to call home next. But by the end of Summer that year, with huge credit to BGSC, I had found my tribe and my reason to stay.
First of all I went along to the Spring Social held at Brew House. I messaged ahead to see if I could get a ticket on the door because I had a therapy session before and wasn’t sure if I’d be feeling up to it. The admin on the IG page replied straight away saying how understanding they were and that it would be no problem at all. Fortunately I was feeling up to it and found myself quickly welcomed by so many warm friendly faces. The energy of the girls there that night was so wonderful. Many of us had turned up alone and didn’t know anyone else. It was social and fun and also informative as the committee shared about the vision of the club and where things were heading which gave out great community lead energy.
Flash forward only a couple weeks to my first bestie from the club - Florence! If you’ve met Flo you’ll know how blessed I was to cross paths with her first. Another club member happened to be driving to Llangenith to collect her new board and go for a surf and had posted in the group to see if anyone wanted to jump in. I was personally still having quite a hard time but thought fuck it! What have I got to lose! Some surf therapy in the sunshine can’t ever be a bad idea. So in I hopped and so did Flo. Turned out we were both remote workers and proceeded to spend the summer hopping around cafes and each others houses to pass the working day together. 18 months on and in addition to many a surf trip we’ve been up to all sorts of mischief including festivals, double dates, camping, and so much more to come.
From there on out friendships just seemed to snowball! Through surf skating, surf trips, social nights, sister sessions, and generally showing up consistently, I’ve found myself surrounded by a sea of amazing women that I call my good friends. Some I met in August 2024, others in March 2025, and no doubt more to come in 2026! On my 31st birthday, the majority of the people who came were all friends through the surf club. I am so unbelievably grateful for this community and the support it’s provided me to get to where I am today.
All of this is mostly to say - if you’re new to Bristol, or seeking some new pals, or are in need of some adventure buddies, or are ready to shake things up in your social life, come and get involved!!! The reason I chose to stay in Bristol and rebuild my life here is quite simply because of these women. I hope for everyone that they get to find their people within this community in the way that I have because it’s the bloody best.
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