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RSX windsurfer Bryony Shaw can't hide her delight at winning the Pre-Olympic Test Event 2007 in Qingdao, China. Credit: Getty Images for Skandia Team GBR.

WEYMOUTH'S Olympic windsurfer Bryony Shaw is launching the country's first windsurfing week at the London boat show this Friday.

Bryony, 24, of Wyke Regis will officially launch the National Windsurfing Week on the main stage at the Whyte and Mackay Earls Court Boat Show at 5pm.

Following the presentation there will be an opportunity for questions and a lesson on the windsurfing simulator with Bryony.

National Windsurfing Week itself will take place from May 3-11 2008 with the aim of raising the profile of windsurfing and encouraging more people to take up the sport.

Billed as a celebration of all things windsurfing', the week will be marked by events across the country, ranging from taster sessions, to race events to possible world record-breaking attempts.

What makes National Windsurfing Week different is that, unlike many other nominated weeks' which are organised for commercial reasons, it has been instigated by a group of windsurfing enthusiasts purely motivated by their love of the sport.

The idea was first born out of a discussion on an online windsurfing forum and from there developed into a major movement to inject new life into windsurfing.

Chairman of the organising team, Sean Blackmore, said: "It's really exciting how quickly the idea of National Windsurfing Week has gained momentum.

"It's the first time that anything on this scale has been attempted within windsurfing circles and everyone is really buzzing about it.

"Windsurfing is a fantastic sport but sometimes people imagine that it is not easily accessible to newcomers - we want to change that misconception and inspire people to make 2008 the year they take up windsurfing."

2008 is of course the year of the Beijing Olympic Games and Weymouth windsurfer Bryony Shaw is one of Great Britain's top Olympic hopefuls.

Bryony is currently ranked fourth in the world and has had a string of medal wins this year, including Gold at the Pre-Olympic regatta in Qingdao.

She said: "Windsurfing is an amazing sport and National Windsurfing Week will give more people the chance to experience that for themselves.

"I am really looking forward to launching the week and I think 2008 is going to be a great year for the sport."

6:01pm Wednesday 28th November 2007

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