Angling Trust secures Sport England funding to ensure access to fishing is available to everyone

The Angling Trust is amongst a group of over 120 organisations working in partnership with Sport England to level up access to sport and physical activity across the country.

The Angling Trust will receive expertise, support and an investment over five years of £1,663,045 of government and National Lottery funding from Sport England to co-deliver the ambitious 10-year Uniting the Movement strategy.

Sport England research shows that some groups are typically less active – such as women, people with long-term health conditions, disabled people, people from ethnically diverse communities and lower socio-economic groups. Right now, the opportunities to get involved in sport and activity – and reap the rewards of being active – depend too much on your background, your gender, your bank balance and your postcode.

Angling Trust will be working closely with angling clubs, fisheries and other organisations to ensure that angling is a sport that attracts participants from all walks of life and that all newcomers are welcomed and encouraged to participate and benefit from our sport.

Over £550 million is being invested in total, with the partners, including the Angling Trust, receiving funding for up to five years. This new funding model from Sport England provides longer-term financial security as organisations recover and reinvent from the Covid-19 pandemic.

All partner organisations were selected by Sport England due to their ability to influence change and improvement at the heart of the system they are a part of, no matter how big or small.  This is the first step on a journey to revolutionise Sport England’s approach to long-term partnerships as it seeks to partner and collaborate with innovative organisations to deliver Uniting the Movement and build a nation where everyone can get active.

Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, said:

“Sport England’s goal is to get everyone active no matter who they are, where they live, or what their background is. But we know that certain groups are more likely to be inactive. We can only innovate and tackle inequalities effectively by thinking about long-term change; Uniting the Movement is a long-term vision, and our funding approach needs to reflect that. Changes to our funding model will help us achieve our goal, by making it easier for our partners to do what they need to do to level up and deliver.”

Jamie Cook, CEO of Angling Trust, said:

“Angling has always been a sport that crosses boundaries and can be enjoyed by all ages and abilities. We are passionate about sharing the health and well-being benefits of our sport with everyone and will be working with angling clubs, fisheries and other organisations to grow our sport even further and ensure that access to angling is available to all and our sport becomes more inclusive and diverse. The funding we receive from Sport England as part of their 10-year Uniting the Movement strategy helps underpin all the work that we do.

“In addition, we will protect and restore fish stocks and the active environments on which fish and anglers depend and attract new and diverse audiences to increase angling participation by offering inclusive and equal opportunities and outreach programmes for all, through strategic delivery partnerships.”