Anglers raise thousands for the NHS!
The NHS needs our support more than ever before, so it’s fantastic to see anglers step up to help. In this article, we salute those who’ve raised thousands for the cause during the pandemic lockdown.
Simon Jones - Virtual Festival (Raised £6000+)
Solihull’s Simon Jones came up with the idea of holding a virtual festival at Cornwall’s prolific White Acres, opening 160 places priced at £10 each to raise funds for the NHS.
Every space was quickly filled, with big names including current Fish O’Mania champ Andy Bennett and former Parkdean Masters winner Craig Edmunds giving their support.
“My family and I drew pegs for the competitors every day of the week before randomly generating a weight for each of them,” explained Simon.
“I relied in part on my knowledge of the pegs and anglers to decide the fantasy results each day and used creative licence to throw entertaining curveballs into the equation.
“I did a daily live Facebook video with a report from the fictional day that I’d concocted, with the vast majority of anglers posting how they’d ‘caught’ that day.”
The extravaganza ended with a giant raffle supported by tackle manufacturers and over £6,000 was raised from the whole event.
Shock overall winner of the virtual festival was 12-year-old Perren Wynnick, who saw off the big shots to be crowned champion!
Simon Jones organised a virtual White Acres festival that raised over £6000.
Adam Wakelin - Online auction (Raised £1000)
An online auction of three boxes of hooklinks tied by England Feeder international Adam Wakelin raised £1,000 for the Coventry Community Nurses where his wife Lindsey works.
In total, 210 hooks for F1, Method feeder and banded pellet fishing were hand-tied and sold, the highest bid being £351 for the Method box. Each hooklink was made using Daiwa line and hooks from Adam’s own stash.
“It took me about eight hours of solid tying, but I’m delighted with the amount raised,” Adam told us.
“It just goes to show that even in these hard times, when people are watching the pennies, anglers will still stick their hands in their pockets for a great cause.”
Adam Wakelin’s online auction raised £1000
Gordon Bullock - Kayak Challenge (Raised £2000+)
FISHING took a back seat at Redbridge Lakes as owner Gordon Bullock used it for a gruelling NHS fundraiser in his kayak.
The Essex complex is currently out of bounds to the public, but Gordon made sure it was put to good use as he tried to replicate a famous race that had been cancelled as a result of the ongoing crisis.
The annual DW Canoe Race sees hundreds of enthusiasts row an energy-zapping 125 miles from Devizes in Wiltshire to Westminsster in London.
Gordon decided to row the same distance around one of his lakes and raise money for the hospital where PM Boris Johnson was treated – St Thomas’.
“Over four days I managed to complete more than 900 laps of the lake and finished the challenge in 25 hours. I’ve done other kayak challenges in the past that have been more dangerous, but the monotony and heat made this a real test,” Gordon told us.
His efforts were well worthwhile, though, with online followers donating over £2,000 to the cause.
Gordon Bullock used his kayak to raise over £2000