One man’s journey from dipping his toe into a sport to competing in the national championships is being chronicled in a remarkable new film, captured by a Tyneside production team.
Jimmy Simpson, 24, of South Shields, has cerebral palsy and is quadriplegic. His ambition was to not only compete, but claim a medal at the the UK Adaptative Surfing Championships, held in Bristol in September. His success has been caught on film by South Tyneside filmakers, Red Stamp Productions.
The film, television, and branded content company, created by Connor Langley and Michael Lambert, has been a near-constant companion for Jimmy since he began his journey in early 2024.
Jimmy said:
“I love surfing and the next step for me was to compete.
“I love trying new things and thought the best way to progress was to push myself out of my comfort zone on some bigger waves at the UK Surfing championships.”
At the end of 2023, Red Stamp managed to secure funding to ‘work with someone involved in a project that delivered social benefit.’
Connor said:
“As soon as we met Jimmy, we knew he was the one we wanted to work with. He’s an incredible person who just refuses outright to be knocked back and as he told us about his surfing dreams, we couldn’t wait to capture his progress and tell his story.
“It involved some dicy shoots. Waist deep in water, navigating the surf, but I never once heard Jimmy complain about it, so neither could we. Managing to find ways of capturing his sheer joy and dogged determination has been half the fun of the project.”
Jimmy has extremely limited mobility, and spent much of the last year working with surf instructor, Nick Jones in South Shields, who helped prep him for the contest. Training sessions in all weathers were filmed by Red Stamp, and the company is currently editing the movie that charts the highs, lows and everything in-between. They also filmed the contest itself, in Bristol.
Connor added:
“We have something pretty amazing. We knew setting out there was great responsibility to tell Jimmy’s story properly and do his hard work justice. Filming his journey, we realised that not only is Jimmy an absolute diamond, his story will keep people enthralled.
“I won’t give away the ending or where he finished in the surfing competiton, but suffice to say, Jimmy’s journey is as spectacular as the destination. We’re honoured to have been there with him and now get to showcase it to hopefully thousands of people.”
The film is a real showcase for South Shields; Jimmy’s surf instructor, Nick Jones, South Shields Surf School, Surf Dek – the only firm in the world making adapted surf boards, and Red Stamp all hail from or are based in the town.
Red Stamp originally hoped to create a short film about Jimmy’s journey, but now plan a longer, more in-depth documentary-style film, which they hope will eventually feature in a gala premiere later this year.
Short teaser of the film:
Cllr Margaret Meling, South Tyneside Council’s lead member for economic growth and transport, said:
“An opportunistic funding bid has turned into an uplifting and inspirational South Shields story. What a story! Jimmy’s grit and determination, Red Stamp’s ability to capture it, the support from Nick and Surf Dek…it perfectly encapsulates how our community comes together to support each other and sometimes create wonderful things.
“I cannot wait to see this film and when a gala premiere can be arranged, I’ll be in the front row with my popcorn soaking up every minute.”
For more information about Red Stamp, including dates and details of the gala premiere visit: https://redstamp-productions.com/
