Angler makes over 300 visors a month for NHS staff
SWANSEA angler Paul Boyce loves nothing more than catching big perch from his local White Springs Fishery – but like milions of other people across the country he’s had to halt his fishing plans.
Paul Boyce with a 4lb-plus White Springs perch
Paul is a full-time carer for his wife, and suffers from mental health problems. For years he has relied on the essential help provided by the NHS, so when he heard the service was struggling to source personal protective equipment he decided to step in and do something.
NHS staff wearing Paul’s visors
“When I’ve been at my lowest the NHS has always been there for me,” he tells us,
“so I wanted to give something back.
“I’d bought a 3D printer a few months ago because I fancied the idea of designing and making some fishing products over the spring, including a custom rod holder.
“Instead I decided to try my hand at making some visors for the staff at Morriston Hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital and the paramedics of Ravenhill Medical Centre.
“The process was very easy as all I had to do was download the free visor design from 3D company, 3DVerkstan, type the credentials into the 3D printer and watch as it created the visors from a 1kg reel of PLA filament.
“Once the frame is completed you just clip on an A4-size acetate sheet, which is the part that shields your face.
“At first it took me an hour and five minutes to make just one, so I bought another printer so that I could run two at a time.
“I’ve since played around with the printers’ settings and I’ve now got it down to four visors in an hour and a quarter! In the last month alone I’ve made more than 300 visors.”
The 3D printer working on a plastic frame
The PLA filament was a hard material to source at first, but a call to Swansea Council soon brought a solution.
“I told the council what I was doing and asked staff to contact the local university and schools for materials or assistance,” he explains.
“The response was great and the council agreed to supply me with 16,000 plastic sheets free of charge, and even got a few schools, a college and CBM Wales (an advanced manufacturer of 3D products) to come on board. They are now all printing their own visor frames.
“So yeah, things progressed quickly!
“I do miss going fishing, as it’s so relaxing, but the fish will still be there when this is all over.”
Completed visors ready to be shipped to hospitals
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
Fishery boss will do "as many shifts as needed" to help in Covid battle
As well as being a licensed electrician and the owner of Norfolk’s popular Highbridge Fisheries, James Brown is also a proud Senior Emergency Medical Technician for the NHS.
Fishery boss James Brown is also a proud NHS worker
The role is a stressful one which involves driving a response vehicle at high speed to give medical care to those who need it, and now has the added pressure of dealing with people infected with Covid-19.
“When I’m running the fishery and the electrical business, I normally only work six shifts a month for the ambulance service, but I’ve now offered myself up to do as many shifts as they need me for,” he tells us.
“I’m sad for the deaths of so many people and obviously I’m scared I’ll get the virus, but I have to help where I can.”
In the event that James does become ill he’s already made plans for two of his close fishing friends to look after his beloved Highbridge complex.
“I’d been focused on improving our syndicate for a while and things were going well,” he says.
“We were looking at bringing in three different 40lb carp this year and I was hopeful of another 4lb roach catch. The fishery is famous for producing huge roach, so the cormorant problems have been my biggest focus.
“While we were issued a licence to use lethal force, the best and most humane way to deal with these birds is having members on the banks to act as a deterrent.
“As the fishery is an artificial irrigation reservoir with limited natural resources, I’ve had to buy a ton of feed to keep the fish as happy as possible at this vital time of year.
“It’s been a setback financially but it had to be done.”
Highbridge Lakes boss with a big common carp
Despite everything that is happening, James is still looking forward to getting back on the bank when the crisis finally blows over.
He adds:
“I’ll either be floatfishing some luncheon meat next to a marginal lily bed, casting my beachcaster off a Spanish beach with a beer in hand or wading through a Scottish river with a fly rod.”
A clonking Highbridge Lakes roach
Fishery to raise thousands for NHS nurses
ONE of the country’s biggest match fisheries has come out in full support of NHS workers who are currently fighting the virus outbreak, with plans to raise thousands for frontline staff.
Staff at Drennan Lindholme Lakes in Yorkshire have planned a one-off NHS Nurse Appreciation Day, scheduled for August 31 this year assuming venues have reopened by that date.
The event will be a fishing match of epic proportions, with the owners aiming to fill all 400-plus pegs on the 10-lake complex.
Entry will be priced at £20 per person, with £10 going into match pools for the participants and the other £10 going directly to NHS staff.
If you want to attend and support this great cause, head to the Drennan Lindholme Lakes Facebook page, click ‘events’ and register your interest
Who knows? You may find yourself taking part in one of the best fishing matches in history!
Lindholme will fill every peg!