Take a Friend Fishing is back – now with two campaigns for 2022!

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Take a Friend Fishing campaign runs from Saturday 28^th May 28^th to Sunday 5^th June 2022

The National Fishing Month Take a Friend Fishing campaign runs from Monday 1^st August to Tuesday 30^th August 2022

Key Messages:

• This year, Take a Friend Fishing is back for spring and summer 2022, giving even more people the chance to get out fishing with a friend or relative.
• Building on the continued success of the 2020 and 2021 campaigns, Take a Friend Fishing will cover both The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee bank holiday and the summer holidays.
• To celebrate the Platinum Jubilee week, between Saturday 28^th May to Sunday 5^th June (inclusive), existing fishing licence holders can register for a FREE one-day fishing licence from the Environment Agency at takeafriendfishing.co.uk to take someone they know fishing.
• To take advantage of the summer holidays and National Fishing month, between Monday 1^st August to Tuesday 30^th August (inclusive), existing fishing licence holders can register for a FREE one-day fishing licence from the Environment Agency at takeafriendfishing.co.uk to take someone they know fishing.

Holidays provide a fantastic opportunity to get outdoors, unwind and connect with the environment. Taking a friend or family member for a fishing trip is an ideal way to spend time outdoors, escape your screens and enjoy some time next to the water.

Getting outside in the countryside is a great way to be together with family and friends and angling is the perfect fit for staying active outdoors, especially if you are staying England or Wales this summer.

Being physically and mentally active helps to maintain our health and mental wellbeing, a fishing trip with a mate or family member means you can stay active, and fish safely following guidelines on the TAFF site at www.takeafriendfishing.co.uk/#faqs  .

There are many fisheries near to where you live that are perfect to visit for a catch-up with a friend during a quick Take a Friend Fishing trip together. Find out about where you can fish at www.takeafriendfishing.co.uk/#faqs

Registering for a free one-day fishing licence couldn’t be easier. Simply visit  www.takeafriendfishing.co.uk/register-free-friend-fishing-licence/ select the date of your fishing trip, enter some basic info about you and your friend, and away you go!

The free fishing licence will be sent with a confirmation email, so please remember to have the angler’s fishing licence and both people’s email addresses plus a few other details handy when you pre-register to Take a Friend Fishing.

Take a Friend Fishing is an Angling Trades Association initiative run in partnership with the Angling Trust, Canal & River Trust and Environment Agency. It’s designed to open up the world of angling to both angling and non-angling communities and give more people the chance to get into fishing.

Relaunched in 2020, more than 6,000 people took part in Take a Friend Fishing in 2021 and this year’s campaign aims to get even more people back out by the waterside. The Take a Friend Fishing initiative will show people it’s still just as easy to get into angling, especially with a friend to show you how, with a free fishing licence from the Environment Agency usually worth £6 to £12.

Heidi Stone, Environment Agency Fisheries Partnerships Manager, said: “This year’s Take a Friend Fishing campaign will be bigger than ever before, with our free one-day fishing licence offer available during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend and the whole of August.

“The campaign is a great opportunity for those who haven’t fished in a while to link up with a friend and go fishing again, and we also hope it will encourage new anglers to take up this wonderful sport. For our licensed anglers – what could be better than passing on your passion to someone else?”

Clive Copeland, Head of Participation at the Angling Trust, said “Take a Friend Fishing is bigger and better than ever this year and now covers The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee as well as the whole of August! The new Take a Friend Fishing offer from May 28^th to June 5^th is the perfect opportunity for anglers to use their extra bit of bank holiday down-time and give a friend the experience of fishing our wonderful, relaxing springtime fisheries.”

Andrew Race, Chairman of the Angling Trades Association (ATA), added “It is fantastic to see Take a Friend Fishing back for summer 2022 with a new look and even bigger programme. Take a Friend Fishing makes good sound sense both mentally, physically and for the long-term development of angling recruitment. Both Jubilee and summer holiday campaigns vastly increase the opportunities for anyone wanting to give angling a go. I would ask both Angling Trades Association members and the wider angling trade to get behind this nationwide initiative and invest your time in Take a Friend Fishing. We know the health benefits, and relaxation angling brings and with recent world events, mental health is paramount. Now is a great time for anglers to help someone to relax and talk and Take a Friend Fishing is an idea solution.”

Hashtags:
#takeafriendfishing

Social Media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TakeAFriendFishingTAFF
Instagram: www.instagram.com/taff_ata

Media Contact: James Roche – [email protected] 07791 786 251.

Who We Are?

The Angling Trade Association (ATA) is the recognised body and voice for the UK angling trade aiming to unite the industry, promote and protect our loved sport. Its mission statement “To promote, represent and protect the angling trade” ensures that the ATA is involved in all aspects of the angling industry. The ATA works to promote growth in the UK angling industry through long term investment and cooperation with all major stakeholders. If you are involved in the angling trade and want to contribute to that growth lake a look at www.anglingtradesassociation.com ATA Media Contact – [email protected]

The Angling Trust is the recognised by the Government as the National Governing Body for angling in England and partner with Visit Wales and NRW to promote Fishing in Wales. We are a member-based organisation made up of anglers of all disciplines providing a united front to represent, grow and protect our sport. By becoming a member of the Angling Trust you are helping to protect the waterways you fish in and the fish which live within them, ensuring their health and protection for future generations.

By joining, you help us to invest in participation initiatives to introduce more people to fishing. Whether you compete in coarse, game or sea matches, on commercial or natural venues, locally, nationally, or internationally, as a member of the Angling Trust you have access to Britain’s biggest and best competitions programme. To find out all about the Angling Trust visit www.anglingtrust.net

The Environment Agency works to create better places for people and wildlife, and support sustainable development. We are responsible for regulating major industry and waste treatment of contaminated land water quality and resources fisheries inland river, estuary and harbour navigations conservation and ecology. We are also responsible for managing the risk of flooding from main rivers, reservoirs, estuaries, and the sea. Environment Agency works with businesses and other organisations to manage the use of resources increase the resilience of people, property, and businesses to the risks of flooding and coastal erosion protect and improving water, land, and biodiversity improve the way we work as a regulator to protect people and the environment and support sustainable growth and encourage sales of rod fishing licences. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency

Notes for editors:
Take a Friend Fishing (TAFF) is an Angling Trades Association initiative run in partnership with the Angling Trust, Canal & River Trust and Environment Agency. Take a Friend Fishing makes it easy for an existing angler to take someone they know fishing. This work is supported by the Angling Trades Association and Environment Agency rod fishing licence income and helps to introduce thousands of people to fishing each year. Find out more at www.takeafriendfishing.co.uk

About Close Seasons: Understanding about close seasons, is like having the right fishing licence, it’s an important and essential part of becoming an angler and just like learning the rules of any sport. ‘Close seasons’ are times of the year when you can’t fish for some types of fish on certain types of water. For example, you can’t fish for coarse fish on any river in England and Wales on 15^th March right up until 15^th June. That means that for the Jubilee Take a Friend Fishing the dates coincide with the annual close season for coarse fish on rivers. You might be able to fish for salmon, brown trout and rainbow trout on some rivers during the coarse fish close season on rivers using certain types of lures and baits – local fishing byelaws to check what you can do in your area and remember too that some privately owned bodies of water can have their own close seasons. If you are new to fishing and want to try it during Take a Friend Fishing, but are confused by this, the best thing to do is ask the angler you are going with, and make sure you both understand what the close season on rivers mean – it’s all explained here on the Environment Agency web site.

About Fishing Licences: You normally need a valid Environment Agency rod fishing licence if you are aged 13 or over and fish for salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt or eel in England (except the River Tweed), Wales, and the Border Esk and its tributaries in Scotland.  An annual fishing licence only costs £30 for up to 2 rods to fish for coarse fish & trout. For a salmon and sea trout licence it’s £82. Concessionary, short term and three rod coarse fishing licences are also available. Visit www.gov.uk/fishing-licences/buy-a-fishing-licence to buy one online. www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency

Logos: There’s a brand new Take a Friend Fishing logo for 2022 available from [email protected] in various formats with some simple guidelines on how to use it in your promotions and social media.