Celebrating Pride Month in 2023

The Angling Trust supports the LGBTQ+ community in angling and celebrates Pride Month 2023. As the National Governing Body for angling, our commitment to making fishing an accessible sport for people from all backgrounds includes supporting LGBTQ+ anglers and promoting welcoming environments for newcomers. This is vital to us as we strive to ensure that everyone can enjoy fishing without facing any barriers. We want everyone to feel they are welcome to our sport.

Pride Month is a tribute to the Stonewall Riots that began in June 1969 in New York. It is also a time to recognise the LGBTQ+ rights movement and celebrate its culture. As well as celebrating Pride month we are committed to a culture of respect that celebrates diversity across the sport. Our We Fish As One campaign also champions these values and showcases inspiring stories of individuals from diverse backgrounds, including the LGBTQ+ community. We want to encourage as many people to start their own fishing journey and unlock their potential for excellence.

This year Hanningfield Reservoir have shown that they share our vision by proudly flying a Pride Month flag on their fishing boat jetty. Park Ranger Charlie Cappolo told us “We always want to present our fishery as welcoming to everyone, so when angling Vlogger Amie Battams was here filming and offered the flag to us, we were delighted to put it in pride of place. Fishing is an amazing sport that breaks down barriers so it’s great to be able to show that we are keen celebrate Pride Month with the LGBTQ+ community. Everyone should feel welcome and be encouraged to enjoy fishing”

We Fish as One is the Angling Trust’s long-term community inclusion campaign that aims to actively develop, and to profile local outreach programmes and activities. This will harness the power of fishing as a community building activity, so that people from all backgrounds can experience the life-changing benefits of the sport of angling.

Upcoming campaign activity within the LGBTQ+ community

This year, for the first time, as part of the We Fish As One campaign, the Angling Trust participation team will be attending the Annual General Meeting of the Gay Outdoor Club, a network of 1500 LGBTQ+ members across the UK that provides a wide range of outdoor and indoor sports and recreational activities for everyone in the LGBTQ+ community. We will have the opportunity to meet members and talk about fishing, its renowned wellbeing benefits, and just how easy it is to get started. It is hoped that during the two-day event we will be able to listen, learn as well as generate new ways to work together with the Gay Outdoor Club and other LGBTQ+ partners, to raise awareness of events and how to give fishing a try.

Our We Fish As One Toolkit also gives information and further resources to members of the Angling Trust on how they can deliver inclusive events with tips and resources to ensure all fishing environments are welcoming. To access the toolkit or for more information on becoming a We Fish As One Campaign and support the LGBTQ+ community please visit https://anglingtrust.net/get-involved/we-fish-as-one/

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