Get Fishing Fund – Funded Project: ‘Summerhayes Junior Angling Club hosts a superb Get Fishing event!

There’s something magical about the stillness of water in the early morning. The light mist that dances over the surface, the quiet rustle of reeds, and the gentle splash as a float settles into place — it’s in these small, peaceful moments that something extraordinary begins to happen. For the young anglers at Summerhayes Juniors, fishing is far more than just a hobby. It’s a journey. One that starts with a simple cast and grows into confidence, friendship, resilience, and a deep-rooted love for the natural world.

Over the past few years, Summerhayes Juniors has become more than just a fishing club — it’s become a community. A place where young people of all backgrounds can come together, learn new skills, and feel like they truly belong. As the club continues to grow, so too does the number of incredible stories coming from the water’s edge. This is the story of how a group of passionate volunteers, dedicated coaches, and some very determined kids have created something genuinely special.

Level 2 Angling Coach, Gavin Davey, ran a super Get Fishing event at Summerhayes recently which everyone thoroughly enjoyed!…

We’re running more Get Fishing events all over the country, so please check our Get Fishing events diary for new events near to you. They are being added all the time and are all part-funded by the Environment Agency who also provide a FREE fishing licence for the event, that covers everybody while they are fishing. Amazing!

After the event ends we aim for participants to be better enabled to progress or complete their newcomer angler journey, and be ready to take the first-steps on their own visits to fisheries and venues where they can fish on their own as long as they have the correct rod fishing licence, some basic knowledge of how to catch and release coarse fish including carp, perch and roach, or catch game fish including trout at places that are geared up for that type of fishing with flies or trout lures.

Sign up for FREE Get Fishing email newsletters in a few seconds – you can unsubscribe any time but being part of the Get Fishing Club means entry into free prize draws, offers and discounts on brilliant beginner fishing tackle from our partners Angling Direct and Shakespeare.

Summerhayes Junior Angling Club are recipients of a Get Fishing Fund grant. In just 5 years the Environment Agency has invested over £600,000 of fishing licence income in 400 Get Fishing projects such as this! The fund has given thousands of newcomers the chance to get into fishing, by providing grants up to £2,500 per organisation. The fund is provided by the Environment Agency and administered by the Angling Trust. Through the fund, the Environment Agency supports angling-based projects to purchase equipment, fishing tackle, resources and run fishing activities that give people the opportunity to get into fishing for the first time. The Get Fishing Fund is a great way for the Angling Trust to help reinvest fishing licence income from the Environment Agency, increase the number of opportunities to get into fishing and grow the sport with additional infrastructure that makes it more resilient in future.

The Get Fishing Fund is all about supporting organisations to run participation activities that help get more people into fishing. Grants can be used to buy tackle, equipment and even event shelters or other resources to run events where newcomers get to go fishing, many for the first time – it opens the doors to participation. The Get Fishing Fund is incredibly popular in the angling community, and has always received a wide range of applications from angling clubs, fisheries, coaches, schools, local authorities and charities.

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.