Rutland Water Fly Fishers (RWFF) have broken new ground this month by becoming the first Game Angling club in the East Midlands to be awarded Clubmark accreditation.

Clubmark is a Sport England backed club accreditation scheme, focusing on providing the perfect environment for young people to take in sport. In order to gain accreditation the club have signed up to both Angling Trust Child Protection & Sports Equity policies, as well as showing an on going commitment  to developing and growing the junior section of the club.

An important part of the club's work to introduce more young people to fly fishing has been this years Youth Day. This year the club are expecting over 80 young anglers to attend, giving novices and slightly more experienced anglers the chance to improve and develop their skills. The club were also successfully awarded a grant from the Environment Agency to purchase rods, reels  and terminal tackle to not only allow the club to offer equipment to those that need it, but also run additional sessions beyond the day itself.

James Roche, Regional Officer for the Angling Trust commented, "RWFF have made great strides over the past 12 months to make their club more open to young anglers. This years Youth Day will be one of the largest participation days of it's kind but most importantly, the club are now supplementing this with regular coaching sessions making RWFF one of the leading fly fishing clubs for junior development in the East Midlands".

Chris Evans, RWFF Junior Coordinator commented, "The club are very proud to gain Club Mark accreditation. We all see this as an important step to meeting our future goal to increase the number of young people participating in fly fishing at Rutland Water and across our region. We would like to thank all those in RWFF who have helped us achieve Club Mark and the Angling Trust who have provided invaluable support."

Further information on RWFF, how to join up and up and coming events can be found by visiting www.rwff.org.uk

More information on the Angling Development work of the Angling Trust and it's officers can be found on the Angling Trust website HERE.

Contact:
James Roche
Regional Development Officer (East Mids)
Angling Trust
Mob - 07791786251
Email - James.roche@anglingtrust.net (please note the change in email address)