My name is Lark and I am Chief Instructor at Stithians Lake near Redruth. I have been working for South West Lakes Trust for 5 years now.

I have always enjoyed being outdoors and on or in the water! I went to school in Falmouth and after completing A Levels in Maths and Photography decided that I didn’t want to work indoors, so I started a Level 3 Diploma in outdoor education at Falmouth Marine School. This course gave me the skills and qualifications I needed to become a Watersports instructor. I started volunteering at Stithians Lake during my first year of the course and once I had gained instructor qualifications in windsurfing and kayaking I began working at the Lake as an instructor.

  

South West Lakes Trust have helped me to continue to improve and develop my skills even further since completing my course at Falmouth Marine School. I now teach stand up paddleboarding and dinghy sailing and have completed my intermediate and senior windsurfing instructor qualifications, which is when I begun working as Chief Instructor. This does mean that I spend a bit more time in the office but I have really enjoyed being able to plan and organise events for the upcoming season!

Stithians Lake is a beautiful place to work and getting to introduce people to a new and exciting sport or just to improve their skills is so rewarding!

 

My job involves a variety of tasks including managing staff, the campsite, organising events and bookings, teaching on water sessions and ensuring our facilities are kept clean and tidy! I really enjoy the fact that every day at work is different and we have a brilliant team of staff at Stithians Lake that are all really passionate about what they do.

I am looking forward to the season ahead, summer is always very busy with lots of people having fun on the water!