There comes a day for every surfer when they must turn their back on their favourite board: whether it's snapped, dinged beyond repair, or just simply too old to carry on, the decision must be made to let it go. The memories of rides gone by make this separation hard for even the most seasoned surfer, and the non-biodegradable nature of surfboards means that simply dumping or binning an old board is, in this day and age, no longer a viable option. I remember the day I snapped the first board I had ever shaped. I kept the pieces for ages in the house until one day I just decided to do something useful with them. As a surfer, I understand the impact waste has on our environment and that's why I developed Soul Graphics: it's surfboard recycling. I take the old and unusable, and create one-off artistic pieces, clocks, CD racks, coat hooks, signs and occasional furniture, all bearing individual, surf-related, themed designs. I have also recently introduced a board art service, allowing surfers to customise their favourite rides with their own choice of picture or individualistic mark as not every surfer will want to wait until a board becomes obsolete before personalising his or her board.

Surfing from eleven, and painting long before that, Soul Graphic's foundations grew from a love of the sea combined with a love of art. As a result of Gavin's work, the water, and indeed the home of many a surfer, is now a more colourful and interesting place to be. Living on Leitrim's small but stunningly formed coastline, Gavin is exposed on a daily basis to the negative affect human consumption has on Mother Nature. Working with young and old from a multitude of backgrounds, Gavin facilitates workshops with the dual purpose of not only developing design skills, but also increasing awareness of the importance of taking pride in one's community. It is this continued belief that drives Gavin to become involved in youth and community initiatives. His most recent project was a mural and a community clock in Tullaghan Community Centre.