Find out about Wallasey’s best kept secret as beachside club’s named Hidden Gem in LCR Tourism Awards

The secret’s out about Wallasey Beach Club after it was named ‘Hidden Gem’ at the LCR Tourism Awards.

Wallasey Beach Club was announced winner at the ceremony held last night at Liverpool Cathedral and which recognises excellence across the tourism and hospitality industry throughout the last year.

It’s extra special because the ‘Hidden Gem’ award is voted for by the public and aimed at rewarding the region’s ‘best kept secret’, those places that not everybody knows about – but should!

Over the last two years Wallasey Beach Club has become a hotspot for water sports enthusiasts, with members growing from around just 35 to 1,000 as more and more people get involved in activities like kitesurfing, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), swimming, and sailing, as well as community events being held there.

The team behind the non-for-profit club is delighted to find out it’s making such a splash.

Founder Adam Crouch, 37, financial director, says: “It’s super rewarding to have won after all the hard work that’s been done by the staff and volunteers, and the community that uses the space and voted for it.

“It just proves how important the space is for the area.

“There’s nothing else like this around here or the UK, I think we are the first watersports beach club that allows so many sports to come together and isn’t geared towards just sailing.

“Everyone’s super-welcoming and there’s always different activities going on.”

Wallasey Beach Club has been founded in the premises formerly home to West Cheshire Sailing Club which dates back to 1891, and which still uses the facilities and the building, and has become part of the club.

Wallasey Beach CIC was formed two years ago, with the focus on ‘health, lifestyle, building community and sustainability’.

The plan is to create an iconic non-powered watersports and wellbeing beach club:

• Providing a friendly, accessible space for watersports and beach access with a primary, but not exclusive, focus on sailing, kitesurfing, SUP and other non-powered water sports activities
• Developing strong community links with other local water sports enthusiasts/organisations and other community services

All members are passionate about the environment, and the CIC will organise beach cleans with an emphasis on raising the awareness of coastal issues, and understanding the importance of maintaining a safe and clean beach as well as giving the wider community a refuse-free beach to enjoy. 

Adam says: “I came back to Merseyside during Covid after travelling and kitesurfing and becoming a kitesurf instructor.

“West Cheshire Sailing Club had been struggling in terms of members and was only opening one day a week. 

“I started teaching kitesurfing at Wallasey Beach through my company Northern Kites, and formed Wallasey Beach Club CIC two years ago, after which the sailors and members voted for the CIC to take over its lease and bring new life to the building.

“We’ve raised lots of money and fundraised to grow it and offer what we are doing today, and we hope that this this is just the start with plans to establish it further.”

Wallasey Beach Club costs £15 per year for social membership so people can use the bar and facilities, like table tennis, and table football and, of course, the beach. Watersports membership is £90 per year (and there are plans to get funding for free sailing, kite-surfing and paddle-boarding lessons, as well as get schools and young people involved).

“It’s a cheap, safe space,” says Adam. “We are planning to open a kitchen in the spring to provide cheap meals to our members.

“Everyone helps out here and as well as being a great beach club, it’s a community where people can get together.

“Everyone works for free, only the bar staff are paid.”

The club holds two monthly public access food markets and music events to fundraise and raise awareness of the club.

As the CIC expands its premises it will aim to offer space for community activities such as a classroom for local schools to facilitate learning about the coastal environment.

It also wants to create an area for campervans to park for weekends – while people partake in the watersports – and establish a skate park or BMX area.

“We’d like to help independent businesses thrive here and, if we could, refurbish or replace the current building.

“It’s all about the regeneration of the area, and I would like to do for Wallasey Beach Club what’s been done for Birkenhead with Make Hamilton, a destination for arts, culture and creative entrepreneurs, and Future Yard for music.

“Winning the award will help us prove that it’s something that’s needed and wanted, and is doing well, to help us get grants and further funding to grow and expand.

“This is definitely something to celebrate and I hope that more people will get to know where we are and join us. It’s great news.”  

Read more features from The Guide Liverpool here.