Steve Double, Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay, will be the chair of the Protect Our Waves All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).
Working with Cornwall-based charity Surfers Against Sewage, The Protect Our Waves APPG was launched on 15th October 2014 and looks to address the most urgent environmental issues highlighted by the Protect Our Waves (POW) petition– marine litter, recreational bathing water quality and coastal development.
In conjunction with the delivery of the POW petition, Surfers Against Sewage also published the findings of a new economic survey highlighting the £1.8 Billion value of UK surfing to call for increased action to protect the UK’s surfing habitats. This ground-breaking study is good news for the UK with the value of £1.8 billion comparable to the economic value of sailing for the UK or tourism for Cornwall.
Commenting, Steve said,
“With Newquay the premier surf resort in the country, I was absolutely delighted to be asked to chair the Protect Our Waves APPG in this new Parliament. The protection of our marine environment is crucial, both to preserve and nurture our beautiful seas and coastline, but also to grow the valuable surfing industry, which contributes so much to our constituency’s economy.
I look forward to working with Hugo and the team at Surfers Against Sewage to ensure the Protect Our Waves APPG is a powerful voice in Parliament both for the protection of our bathing water quality and in the fight against marine pollution.”
Commenting, Hugo Tagoholm, Chief Executive Officer of Surfers Against Sewage said,
“Surfers Against Sewage would like to welcome Steve Double MP as the new chair of the Protect Our Waves All Party Parliamentary Group. We look forward to working with Steve to highlight the importance of protecting valuable natural surfing and coastal heritage in Cornwall and nationwide. The APPG provides us with an excellent platform to discuss the most innovative solutions to marine litter, protecting water quality and safeguarding the UK’s sites of special surfing interest”