16ft statue to mark 60th anniversary of surfing could be built in Newquay
85% of local residents have voted in favour of the bronze sculpture
A 16ft bronze statue of a surfer could be built in Newquay after 85% of residents voted in favour of the idea.
In November 2021, charitable cause The Keogh Foundation set up both an online questionnaire, and physical copies of a survey asking Newquay residents to state their approval of or opposition to a surf statue being erected on the Killacourt.
This campaign was initiated to demonstrate sufficient local support for the site-specific project as requested by Newquay Town Council.
The Keogh Foundation, set up by Stuart and Cherrilyn (Cherry) Keogh, hopes to donate a five-metre-high £100,000 sculpture to the town, showing a bronze surfer riding a wave in the 60th year anniversary of the sport in Newquay.
And the Killacourt surf statue survey has proven to be a surfing success with 85% of the people who completed the online version voting in favour of the statue being placed on this site.
In addition to the 576 local people surveyed, 515 physical signatures have been collected via a petition that was circulated around the town’s businesses including; Karma, Santa Cruz, The Wave Project, Dreya Glass, Smile surf shop, The Board Room, The Stable, Box and Barber, Surfing Life, Saltrock, Vantastic, Superdry, By The Sea, Board Walk and Mustard Surf.
Each individual signature is an indication of solid support for the statue and the proposal of the Killacourt as the most suitable home.
The Keogh Foundation team also ran a social media campaign to raise awareness of the project and generate support for the statue on the Killacourt specifically. 3,624 people engaged positively over the ten days showing interest and support. A staggering 16,747 video views were generated, mainly for the video showcasing the original ’surf pack’ with 2,611 watching it all the way through. During this period, the town showed more interest in the project than for anything else circulating on social media in Newquay.
Some of the original group of Newquay-based surfers including Roger Mansfield, Alan McBride, Dennis Cross and the first female surfer, Trish Scarlett are also in support of the Killacourt surf statue. The four gathered together recently to add their support to the campaign to have the iconic Newquay statue erected on the Killacourt, overlooking those first-surfed beaches, to recognise not only the multi-dimensional value that surfing brings, but also to mark this significant 60th anniversary.
Stuart Keogh said: “It is really motivating for us that the majority of people we’ve asked are in favour of the statue being positioned on the Killacourt. We hope this will be compelling enough to make Newquay Town Council grant permission in early 2022. We firmly believe that this gift to Newquay should be situated in the centre of the home of British surfing, in the spot that overlooks those breaks that the original Newquay surfers most utilised sixty years ago and that spot is the Killacourt. From the permission to the statue being made and erected takes some eight months so it is hoped we can work with the councillors and civil servants at Newquay Town Council on behalf of the people of Newquay to activate this process soon.”
Stuart continued: “In addition to the survey, we also have the support of a large number of the surfing community and also of Visit Cornwall who have confirmed that a statue such as this would create a brilliant impression, and could even bring up to £500,000 of additional publicity value and extra income per year for Newquay, especially as surfing is now an Olympic sport. And Newquay Town Council has expressed its interest in more public art for the town so this statue would be ticking two boxes at once. We are keen to gift it to the people of Newquay, in the year that is recognised as the 60th birthday of surfing in Newquay in the most suitable location.”
Stuart and Cherry, the couple behind The Keogh Foundation first moved to Newquay around the same time as the surfing trend took off in the area, and they then went on to set up several surf-related businesses.
The couple are now keen to give back to both the sport, and to Newquay, given that both have supported their success in life, and the statue donation is the first in a series of charitable opportunities that The Keogh Foundation has in development.