By Hayley Browning
and Jo Taylor

Contact
Web: www.paddlecabin.co.uk
Email: hello@paddlecabin.co.uk
Tel: 01892 249 089
Facebook and Instagram: @paddlecabin

The story behind the Paddle Cabin

For Hayley and Jo, paddle boarding is not just about the sport; it’s a way of life. They want to introduce and share a way of life with everyone through their new venture, the Paddle Cabin, based on the beautiful River Medway in Kent.

Their mission is clear; to make your soul happy through paddleboarding sessions, experiences and community of local paddlers.

Hayley and Jo’s story

Despite growing up in Kent on the doorstep of the Paddle Cabin’s new home, Hayley and Jo met at sunrise at the summit of Snowdon, their favourite mountain, back in 2014 and never looked back.

Jo’s passion for SUP began in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex and being actively involved with her local club SUPSECT, which inspired her to develop and hone her technical skills, and gave her a real sense of community to enjoy, explore and learn together.

Knowing Hayley’s love for the outdoors and passion for well-being, Jo introduced her to the sport, and the water quickly became the place she felt at her happiest. Being on the water triggered a sense of relief that Hayley had been searching for since her breast cancer diagnosis.

That moment she stepped on her paddleboard was the first time she had felt connected to her true self again, after two years trying to navigate her life post-breast cancer. Not only had she’d been recovering from the short- and long-term physical effects from her two surgeries and chemotherapy, but she was also recovering mentally, trying to digest experiencing a life-threatening disease, at the age of 27.

While she had a lot of family and friends around her for support, she’d lost a part of her self, which was something only she could discover. Thanks to SUP, that missing piece of the puzzle was finally found, and with it, a renewed appreciation for life. The spark of adventure on the water, the peacefulness of nature surrounding her, and the feeling of strength through her paddle stroke; finally, she felt like she’d discovered an even more true version of herself, all thanks to the great outdoors.

The impact of covid-19

Fast forward to last year, and it was a year like no other with the impact of covid-19 on the world. Going through difficult relationship breakups, loss and health problems were already big personal challenges for them both, without adding covid-19 to the mix. And to be honest, SUP got them both through that difficult time to help heal, boost their mental health and give back some freedom that had been taken away. It ended up inspiring a lot more change than expected.

Hayley quit her London job working in corporate charity partnerships to dedicate her career to the outdoors and moved back to Kent last summer. She was looking for her local paddling community in Kent, but unlike Jo, Hayley struggled to find a place on the water she could call home to inspire her, meet like-minded paddlers, develop her skills and share her love of the water on her doorstep.

With a shared love for adventure and the wilderness, Hayley and Jo’s love for paddle boarding and the water grew as they paddled around the UK over the last few years (thanks to Lizzie Carr’s excellent Paddling Britain book!). When travel was allowed last year, they spent as much time as we could exploring Kent and its secret hidden SUP spots, paddling 350km of our local waterways. Famous for its status as the Garden of England, Hayley and Jo feel the waterways of Kent are ridiculously underrated and believe there is beauty on and in the water, everywhere you go.

A fantastic opportunity was presented to them from an incredible site underneath the shadows of the woodland on the banks of the River Medway in the village of East Peckham in Kent. Having previously worked for adventure activity companies in event management, for Hayley, this was a dream come true, to run her slice of adventure.

They had both informally coached friends and families over the last few years since they started SUP and loved introducing people to paddleboarding life. Knowing they had to become fully qualified to run their paddleboarding centre, they picked up the pace and dedicated themselves to being the best coaches they could be. Not only are they now fully qualified British Canoeing SUP coaches, but the feedback received from Flying Gecko Outdoors was outstanding, being highly regarded on their incredible learner centred coaching philosophies at their heart, to bring their vision for the Paddle Cabin to life.

And the Paddle Cabin was born

Hayley and Jo know first-hand about the powerful benefits of blue space, the positive effects of water on our health, well-being, happiness, and restorative powers. One in four people experience a mental health condition in their lives (and that was pre-covid). With a global pandemic, the desire for being outdoors, on the water, surrounded by like-minded people and the need for connections with nature for our mental health is greater than ever.

There are some amazing SUP spots in Kent, but people like Hayley had been looking for a place to call their paddle home on the water.

So, what did they do? They took a deep breath and, with a heap of courage, decided that they had the passion and skills to bring the paddle life to Kent and bring the fantastic mental health benefits of SUP to the Kent community.

With a clear purpose in mind, the Paddle Cabin was built:

• To provide meaningful coaching sessions – promising to be safe, full of learning and always fun.
• To promote well-being on the water and ensure a holistic approach in everything we do.
• To give a sense of belonging to a community with a shared love for the paddle life.

Hayley and Jo want to offer ways for everyone to experience the paddleboarding way of life through their three-pronged purpose around learning, well-being and community. Building skills and confidence on the water, feeling connected to nature and refreshed, and finding your tribe through their members and club events.

Paddle Cabin activities for ‘Cabin Crew’ members include cleaning up our river, joining our social campfire paddles, calming the mind through our SUP meditation or yoga, SUP singles night (paddle dating) and SUP pups sessions to give you the confidence to take your dog out on the board with you. That’s what they call the paddle life.

What does the Paddle Cabin stand for?

Guided in life by our core values, setting up a business that had meaning and stood for what they believed in was so important. So, at the Paddle Cabin, they live by their values every day in everything that they do:

• Welcoming: hello is our favourite word. We love saying it to everyone, no matter your paddling ability.
• Happy: life’s too short to be anything else. Positivity and energy is our vibe.
• Curious: we are constantly discovering and developing at a pace that feels right.
• Responsible: we care. We care a lot. Staying safe, protecting our paddlers and respecting our environment is at our heart.

Over the last 12 years, Jo’s career has been around helping businesses be more responsible; environmentally, socially and doing the ‘right thing’ for their customers, colleagues, and businesses. At the Paddle Cabin, being responsible means everything from keeping our paddlers safe, being inclusive for all who want to join our crew, discounted sessions for those who can’t afford to access paddleboarding, river clean-ups, working with responsible suppliers, using sustainable materials and respecting our environment.

They have partnered with three charities that address key issues important to them and their paddlers through awareness-raising, signposting and fundraising. They are working with Kent Wildlife Trust to enhance their role to support river ecosystems, West Kent Mind to focus on mental health and the well-being benefits of paddleboarding and Breast Cancer Now because of the role that paddleboarding can play in physical and mental health recovery from a diagnosis of breast cancer.

Both balancing two jobs, they have worked hard over the last year to secure their coaching qualifications and turn their vision of the Paddle Cabin into a real-life business. They are so excited to have opened their cabin door on the 1st of May, to help everyone feel more at home on the water.

“We have been overwhelmed by the amazing encouragement from the paddleboarding community across the UK with invaluable advice and guidance. It makes us so proud to be a part of such a supportive and growing community, and we can’t wait to connect with so many paddle boarders and welcome so many new people to the water.” Jo