Europe's First Surf Museum To Get New Permanent Home

BRAUNTON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 04: (EDITORS NOTE: THIS IMAGE MUST ONLY BE USED FOR EDITORIAL PURPOSES DIRECTLY RELATING TO THE STORY - Europe's First Surf Museum To Get New Permanent Home) In this handout photo provided by the Museum of British Surfing, A 1960s poster held by the Museum Of British Surfing shows cigarette sponsorship for a surf competition is seen on October 4, 2010 in Braunton, England. The Museum of British Surfing, a charity which originally started online, has been touring the UK since 2004 and is Europe's first surf museum. It holds the largest surfboard collection in Britain and has secured funding for a permanent home, which will open in Braunton next summer. As well as the collection of surfboards dating back over 100 years, the museum also holds early wetsuits, photos and other memorabilia relating to the phenomenal growth in the popularity of surfing. Although many people assume surfing in the UK began in the 1960s, the museum contains evidence that show that it was in fact already a mass participant activity on British beaches by the end of the First World War. Surfing is now a multi-million pound industry and employs 1000s of people in the UK. (Photo from the collection of the Museum of British Surfing - www.museumofbritishsurfing.org.uk via Getty Images) For use with Surf Museum feature only. Mandatory credit should read "From the collection of the Museum of British Surfing - www.museumofbritishsurfing.org.uk"