NEW BLOG: Get Fishing Award event for North Cambridge Academy students enjoys huge success at Milton Country Park! – Get Fishing event helps newcomers get into fishing

Blog Post: By Jack Culpin Regional Angling Development Manager (East of England), Angling Trust

North Cambridge Academy visited Milton Country Park for another amazing Get Fishing Awards Event.

The students all achieved their Bronze Get Fishing Award with the help of Licenced Level 2 Angling Coach John Pope from Everybody Can Fish.

Students and Teachers alike were handling, unhooking and releasing their fish with great confidence by the end of the session! A great step forward for them to make on the angling journey to becoming an independent junior participant in this amazing pastime which helps young people overcome the distractions of modern day-to-day life, get off their screens and spend some high-value time outdoors in nature, learning a new skill, interacting with peers and taking time to decompress. All of this is proven to be beneficial and helps achieve and maintain mental health, wellbeing and a sense of stability.

If you’d like to help a young person or adult get into fishing or return after a break, here are FIVE EASY STEPS TO GET INTO FISHING:

1. Talk to your GP about social prescribing or contact one of our Get Fishing for Wellbeing Approved Partners
2. Check out our events calendar or map and find a beginner fishing event close to you – nearly all events are free, the rest are low cost or great value for money and include use of tackle and bait on the day, as well as a free fishing licence that covers the event you are at, generously donated by the Environment Agency to help newcomers develop a lifelong angling habit
3. Contact one of our 8 Regional Angling Development Officers for a friendly chat or email about where to go fishing near you
4. Pop in to an Angling Direct Store – most have a Qualified and Licenced Angling Coach in-store, as well as being able to show you where to have a go at beginner fishing, the best tackle to use, the right kind of rod licence or day ticket, and what bait works best!
5. Get a rod fishing licence – you are covered while you’re at a Get Fishing event, but afterwards it’s a legal requirement to own one while you are fishing – all the money goes back into getting more people into fishing or protecting fish and wildlife, and rivers, lakes, canals and streams – you are helping keep the environment healthy!

We’ll be running more Get Fishing Awards during the half-term and summer school holidays so always check our Get Fishing events diary for new events near to you.

Jack

Jack Culpin
Regional Angling Development Officer (East of England)
jack.culpin@anglingtrust.net
07808 779470

The Get Fishing campaign is funded by

The Angling Trust’s Get Fishing campaign to get more people fishing more often is funded by the Environment Agency from fishing licence income as part of the National Angling Strategic Services contract with the Angling Trust, and Sport England. Children under-13 do not need a licence, and licences for children aged between 13 and 16 are free but you still need to register and receive a licence before you go fishing. You can get a licence for the full year, for 8 days (ideal for holidays!) or just a day’s fishing.

NOTE: Although young children who are under 13 year old do not need a licence to fish, the person supervising them needs to have the proper fishing licence before they take hold of the fishing rod or help the child fish with it.

Get Fishing is Proudly Supported by

The Angling Trust’s ‘Get Fishing’ campaign is proudly supported by
Shakespeare, Exclusive Tackle Partner and Angling Direct, Exclusive Retail Partner
as we all work towards getting more people fishing, more often.

If there’s something that you cannot find here to help you start fishing or return to angling, please contact your local Regional Angling Development Officer – you can find the nearest one to where you want to go fishing here.