30 Apr 2026
There was a buzz at Cornwall College in St Austell this week, as surf, fitness, and good vibes took over campus during a Community, Health, and Wellbeing Marketplace event on 29 April.
Organised by the Cornwall South Community Area Partnership, the event brought together a mix of local organisations — all there to share opportunities, ideas and support that actually matter to young people.
NeuroHappiness were part of the line-up, chatting with students and staff about their neuroinclusive programmes. Their Aloha Kākou Shaka surf club definitely caught attention, with founder Aiden there to talk about what it’s like to get involved. Sessions kick off at Watergate Bay on Saturday mornings this June — and from the interest on the day, there’ll be plenty of new faces keen to give it a go this summer.
Things got competitive thanks to Beach Gym 365 coach Morgan, who set up a skipping challenge. The question: how many skips can you do in a minute — and can you beat him? It wasn’t easy - the fastest competitor on the day only managed just over half his total.
Diogo topped the student leader board with 65 skips in a minute while Imogen, also a student at the college, came closest to guessing Morgan’s impressive total of 115. Both students won a free spot on one of Morgan’s HITT sessions at Pentewan Beach this summer.
Local councillor James Mustoe got involved, backing the idea of bringing events like this straight to students.
He said, “We should be coming to where young people are — not expecting them to come to us.”
He also proved to be a good sport, stepping up to take on the skipping challenge - although Morgan held firmly onto his top spot!
There were also some great conversations happening behind the scenes. Hector Carey from the THRIVE programme — which supports young people who don’t always fit into traditional classrooms — caught up with Aiden. THRIVE worked with Aloha Kākou Shaka Inclusive Surf Club last summer on a surf programme, and it clearly made an impact.
Hector said, “the experience worked so well because it focused on creating a space where learners feel safe, accepted, and able to be themselves. Real learning always starts through relationships and experiences.”
With thanks to:
👏Mike Hooper at the Co-op for the introduction to Cornwall South Community Area Partnership,
👏Sarah Scoltock, Community Link Officer at Cornwall Council, who helped organise the event and made us feel so welcome, and
👏Ben Howe who kindly covered this event in our local paper: Cornwall College students enjoy community marketplace event | cornish-times.co.uk
