H&DAA held an event aimed to introduce children to angling at Foxhole Pond on the evening of the 7th June. These events are sponsored by the Angling Trust and form part of their “Get Fishing” campaign.

Thirty children from a local cubs group attended, along with with their group leaders, most of whom had never fished before.

It turned out to be a really enjoyable evening. The weather was perfect, with Foxhole looking beautiful. The event kicked off with Ray Smallwood demonstrating the basics of whip fishing, after which the children were spit into small groups, each supervised by a club member.

The fish were very obliging obliging. Plenty of small roach, plus the odd skimmer and carp caught, much to the delight of participants. All the children caught several fish, and it was clear we could have gone on long beyond the 8pm finish time.

Thanks are in order to both the Angling Trust for enabling the event to take place and to members of H&DAA (Ray Smallwood, Tony Staples, Kevin Rice, Lee Waller and Oliver Wright) who made sure the children all enjoyed themselves and also learned the basics of fishing. Particular thanks are due to Tony for making arrangements with the cub group and also sorting out the tackle and bait, and also Ray for his expert demonstrations and the considerable time he spend preparing tackle for the event.

The event is just the first of a series the club is putting on in conjunction with Angling Trust over the coming weeks, all aimed at introducing children to angling. As angler’s know, fishing is real source of pleasure and joy, and offers an escape from the demands of everyday life. By holding these events the club provides children the opportunity to see what angling has to offer and, hopefully, to take the first steps of a journey that can last a lifetime.