Dean Russell, aged 40, joined the West Midlands Police Force, where he spent 12 years as a PC. But after a road accident where his police van flipped on its side and hit a tree, he decided to begin a new, less mentally stressful chapter – he founded ‘Pier 52’, a water-sports business based on a reservoir in Chasewater Country Park, near Walsall, Staffordshire.
Customers at his water-sports business are 50%-50% adults / children. As a parent-of-two kids himself, he is a great advocate for healthy fresh air and outdoor exercise, especially for kids, although he is keen to talk about the physical and mental benefits from exercise for all generations. “My police accident in 2008 affected my mental health,” admits Dean, who returned to work after his crash, but found himself in tears in his office. The water-sports business “was a release, a get-away,” he says. “It was a massive factor in me getting better in my mental health.”
Pier 52 offers his clients, aged 7 to 80, a chance to enjoy Cable Wakeboarding (Dean’s favourite & hobby), Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP), Kayaking, ‘Ringo Rides’ and SUP Yoga. He welcomes lots of schools, youth groups, clubs, Scouts, and youngsters from ‘alternative schooling’, who aren’t comfortable in the mainstream education system. Dean likes to keep his police background separate from his role as a water-sports instructor, but adds: “There have been some moments involving anti-social behaviour when I’ve had to go into ‘police officer mode’. Mostly though, when the children come here, they really appreciate and respect the water. We give them water confidence. Some can’t swim but that’s not a barrier to enjoying water-sports. We give them a life vest.”
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