An armada of Cheam paddle surfers rode along the Thames at the weekend to raise awareness of the growing fitness craze.

Stand-up paddle surfing, known as SUP, surged in popularity when Jennifer Anniston was pictured astride a longboard in Hawaii.

The watersport, using an adapted canoe paddle for steering, originated in ancient Polynesia but reached these shores about three years ago.

Remarkably, the Blue Chip SUPer Club in Church Hill Road, Cheam, has been among the first wave of paddleboard pioneers on this island.

Seven of its members demonstrated their mastery of the phenomenon on Sunday by propelling themselves from Putney Bridge to Tower Bridge.

Brian Johncey, who runs the club and distributes specialist boards from his windsurfing shop, said: “SUP is one of the fastest growing water sports in the UK and Sunday saw the first SUPing of the River Thames as it meanders through London.

“Seven paddlers from Blue Chip SUPer Club took a three-hour trip past all the major landmarks, including MI6, the Houses of Parliament, the Millennium Wheel the Tower of London, HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge.

“It was an awesome task to get the seven of us down this eight-mile stretch of the Thames.

"But the weather was great, the venue was great and it was a great way to spend the day.”

SUP enjoyed a renaissance recently as carbon paddles and evolving technology allowed surfers to manoeuvre the 12ft boards with minimal effort.

Billed as easier to pick up than conventional surfing, it has been embraced by Hollywood celebrities intent on developing core strength and balance.

Blue Chip SUPer is running taster sessions each Saturday throughout the summer.

For more details call the club on 020 8715 0040 or follow its activities on the forum at standuppaddlesurf.co.uk.

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