The organisers of Newquay’s annual surf and music festival have started handing out cheques after raising £105,000 for good causes at last year’s event.

The Boardmasters Foundation has presented £20,000 towards the ongoing fundraising efforts for the rejuvenation of the Newquay Railway Station toilets.

A further £1,500 apiece has been donated to the former Mayor Louis Gardner’s chosen charities, which were Newquay RNLI and Children’s Hospice South West.

Vision Nine, which organises the festival at Fistral and Watergate Bay each year, is keen to support the toilets scheme because many festival-goers arrive at and depart from the station.

The foundation has committed to giving £45,000 over three years towards the required £50,000 for the delivery of the project.

Newquay Town Council, which is managing the scheme, will demolish the existing dilapidated structure and install a new modular toilet block. Cllr Andy Hannan, the chair of the town’s environment and facilities committee, said: “I must thank and congratulate the Boardmasters Foundation and Boardmasters founder Andrew Topham for responding to our request for funding. 

“This is yet another example of Andrew and his team’s commitment to improving the infrastructure, services and community in our town.”

Mayor Margaret North accepted the donation alongside Deputy Mayor Drew Creek who said the scheme would provide free toilets at no cost to Newquay taxpayers. 

Cllr Creek added: “For far too long, the train station has gone without toilet facilities which impacts all those travelling via the station but also the thousands of festival-goers in the summer months that come to Newquay to attend Boardmasters.”

Cllr Gardner said: “For many years, the Boardmasters Foundation has supported the mayor’s charities. 

“For my final year as mayor, I was delighted to choose Newquay RNLI, where the Boardmasters Foundation donation will go to directly fund the running of the Newquay lifeboats. In addition, a further donation from the foundation will support Children’s Hospice South West who do so much incredible work to help sick and terminally-ill children and their families right here in Cornwall.”

Andy Bramwell, RNLI community manager for Cornwall said: “As a charity, the RNLI relies on the generosity of our supporters and we’re extremely grateful to the Boardmasters Foundation for their donation.”

Alice Merrett, the area fundraiser for Children’s Hospice South West, said: “We are extremely thankful for this generous donation. Our hospice Little Harbour costs around £3m to run each year, so donations like these are vital to ensure we can keep supporting children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families.”

 Established in 2017, the foundation was born out of the festival team’s desire to give back something to Cornwall. 

Thirty-eight Cornish charities, beach clean groups, businesses, schools, surfing and sporting organisations, and community groups are set to benefit from the money raised in 2022. Those receiving donations include the Schools Consent Project, Wave Women, Black Voices Cornwall, Cornwall Food Action, Watergate Bay Lifesaving Club, Newquay Boardriders and Concrete Waves.  

Andrew Topham said: “It’s heart-warming to visit each of the recipients and see and hear the great work that they’re doing.  

“We’re obviously encouraging as much public transport usage for both weekend and day visitors in and out of Newquay, so our ongoing support for the much-needed new toilets at Newquay Train Station makes perfect sense.  

“And we’re all well aware of the vital work that both the Newquay RNLI and Children’s Hospice South West do.”

Groups interested in applying to the foundation, can visit www.boardmasterscommunity.com/board masters-foundation