The Building Bridges Project and Slovakian school learn all about fishing in England

The Building Bridges Project team organised a special coaching and learning session for a group from a Slovakian school recently. The event was held to help the children, and their families learn more about fishing in England.

The first part of the session included a presentation where the team explained the fishing rules in England. They talked about why these rules are important and how everyone can enjoy fishing in a safe and respectful way. The children and adults asked questions and learned how to become responsible anglers.

After the presentation, the children had the chance to try fishing themselves with the help of professional coaches. They were proud to work with John Pope from Everybody can Fish, who did a fantastic job making sure every child had the best chance to catch a fish.

“We are very happy to report that every single child caught a fish – and for many of them, it was the first fish they had ever caught!“ John Pope.

This event was not only educational, but also great fun. The smiles on the children’s faces showed just how much they enjoyed the experience.

“It was a pleasure to work with you guys again. The Building Bridges Team do a great job in going into schools and holding events like this which explain the rules of fishing in the uk. The children were great, yes the smiles said it all and they all caught a fish as well as the activity being educational. Some of the teachers and mums also had ago which was nice to see and they also caught fish.” Everybody can Fish volunteer.

John Pope continues:

“Everybody Can Fish was formed to make Angling an accessible and enjoyable activity for everybody. We have previously worked with Youth Offending, Homeless Groups, Local Authorities, Home Education Groups, Schools, Special Schools, Scouts and within our local communities to help them access the benefits of Angling.

This is about using angling as a tool to support and boost one’s mental health and is helpful with other health conditions. Fishing is a perfect sport, activity that anybody can take part in, from people who are suffering with depression, other mental health conditions as well as people who have conditions like autism and ADHD as well as disabled people.

We have Level 2 coaches who have safeguarding, are first aid trained and have a full DBS check as well as public liability insurance. We are keen to hear from anybody who we can help to access fishing. We run events all over the County and are keen to work with individuals and groups, we even run fishing birthday parties!”

At Building Bridges, we believe it is very important to connect with different communities in England. We want to make sure that everyone feels welcome in the angling world and understands how to take part in fishing the right way. Events like this also help us to introduce young people to fishing – because they are the future of our sport.

The Angling Trust’s Building Bridges Campaign is funded by the Environment Agency – as we all work towards getting more people fishing, more often.

Hundreds of people are introduced to angling every year. You can get involved too with free or low cost events in your area:

Check out the Get Fishing webpage here to find your nearest Get Fishing Event. Keep checking as events are added all the time, all over the country, so there is sure to be an event near you.

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.