ONE?of Britain’s top young surfers, Stanley Norman from Bude, has been given support from a local retailer, as one of their newest team riders.

After moving to Bude at the age of two with his family, and first hitting the water with his dad at the tender age of four years old, Stanley, now 14, is already fast becoming one of the most promising young UK surfers, showing fantastic potential in the world of surfing and throwing his all into the sport, fighting hard to get into the pro juniors and looking ahead to the qualifying series and in time, the World Surf League.

Over the past couple of years, Stanley has been lucky enough to travel all over the world to surf various different surfing breaks, visiting Ireland, Hossegor, Hawaii and, most recently, Sydney, Australia, where he even managed to stay with none other than the world famous surfing legend, Mick Fanning.

Whilst training hard with his coach, Joel Gray, Stanley’s hard work and dedication has clearly paid off, as he was placed sixth in the WSL junior pro Espinho, Portugal, at the end of June, helping to shoot him up the European rankings.

Surf and life retailer, Ann’s Cottage, has announced that Stanley is its newest team rider.

Stanley said: “I am stoked to be on board with Ann’s Cottage and I am extremely grateful to everyone for supporting and believing in me. I cannot wait to see what the future holds.”

Rob Harris, Ann’s Cottage owner and managing director, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have Stan on board. He is one of the UK’s most promising young surfers and is an inspiration to boys and girls his age, taking on the world of surfing. We are incredibly proud to be able to support such a local young talent, and Stan is showing that no matter where you come from, you can dream big! We cannot wait to see where his career takes him, and we are thrilled to be along for the ride.”

Stanley will be seen across the Cornish waters this summer, and at Boardmasters 2017, where he will be competing as one of the youngest riders.