Five minutes with Sarah Thompson
IN 2018 the Angling Trade Association’s National Fishing Month campaign introduced nearly 10,000 new people to the world of fishing.
More than 275 special National Fishing Month events held across six weeks during July, August and September gave thousands of people the opportunity to fish for the very first time, and a large percentage of those who attended were children.
One fishery that dedicated a lot of its time to helping kids get into the sport over NFM was Norfolk’s Barford Lakes, who received a lot of interest in their free coaching sessions held at the complex.
Angling Times spoke to the fishery’s owner Sarah Thompson to pick her brains on the fishery’s contribution to helping more people take up fishing…
AT: It’s fantastic to see a fishery that’s so passionate about introducing new people to fishing. What sparked the decision to help out? When did this happen?
ST: The passion has always been there, I'm lucky to have the support of my family business – even luckier with the excellent group of people gravitated to our coaching team. Angling's not the easy, entry level sport it used to be with less free fishing suitable for juniors. We ran junior matches in the late 90’s, got a team in the Junior National and had an individual 2nd and 6th. Ivan Marks and his son also came and helped us in practise. I found that without an abundant coaching team the good got better, but the ‘not-so’ didn't go so much. 5 years ago the Angling Trust had a Volunteer Champion scheme which helped us start to form the core of the coaching team. With a free coaching day a year leading to the last 2 years we've run 20 free sessions each year - half for National Fishing Month and half for Angling Trust's Free Family fishing schemes. It’s the future and we’re playing the long game.
AT: How many licenced fishing coaches do you now have on-site?
ST: We have 2 Level 2 coaches and 2x Level 1 coaches and a bank of about 8 tremendously awesome volunteers - 4 of which are under 18, which is great as some youngsters relate better to young people nearer their own age. We feel blessed by the team that has grown.
AT: We understand you’ve been hosting free coaching sessions. How popular have these been?
ST: Very popular, this year it's been filling up two weeks in advance. We had about 300 people through and the same again this year. About 50:50 returning from last year and new people. It's a younger starting age now due to distractions of life, phones and social media - we're trying to make it affordable and accessible for young families, that’s why we try and keep the sessions free.
AT: Are the coaching sessions more popular with kids or adults? Or are the results equal?
ST: Fairly equal but probably younger families. The parents with a child who has an interest in fishing but no-one in their family fishes. Returning anglers. Parents who have fished as a child who want their child to experience fishing - but their knowledge is limited to when they were a kid too.
AT: How valuable have the Angling Trust and angling bursaries been in helping you achieve your goal at Barford?
ST: Hugely. The Angling Trust and Active Norfolk have been great with bursaries and our Angling Participation officer has helped with additional bespoke volunteer training. The Angling Trust's Volunteer Champion scheme 5 years ago was a starting block for forming our team. It gave training on risk assessing, safe guarding and positive public image giving volunteers more confidence and some clothing which added pride and identity. The participation officers are a valued arm of the Angling Trust. The ATA's National Fishing Month scheme has been awesome too for help with tackle from the trade.
AT: Can you explain more about your Tackle Bank Scheme? Have any big-named anglers donated their old tackle to the cause?
ST: The more coaching we do the more our customers wanted to help put something back to the sport too. We had their unused poles, rods, luggage and even boxes donated to us. We now have a small area with donated tackle we've started to donate back out to young anglers. Giving some a more professional set up, replacing broken rods to get them fishing again, quiver tip rods to juniors fishing the method on a waggler rod. Julian Watson from Drennan gave us his very first Drennan Macthbox box – which the young grandson of one of our coaches now uses. 100 words
AT: The Norfolk School Games Angling Final was held at your fishery again this year. Can you tell us more about what happens during this event?
ST: It’s run by Active Norfolk, with 18 other sports involved. Young anglers are from 11-15 years old. 6 of the 8 Norfolk School Sports Partnership qualifiers are held at our lakes where we also coach at the same time as competing. The 48 peg final (each SSP sends 2 teams of 3) is supported well by the trade. Finalists get a goodie bag with at least a plummet, disgorger and decent hook length, along with other goodies we can find. There are team and top individual tackle prizes too.
AT: We’ve now come to the end of National Fishing Month. How has Barford contributed to the cause this year?
ST: Every week we held a session over NFM linked to this brilliant initiative. We support all the trade's participation schemes as we all work for the same common cause. Plus I'm an associate director of the Angling Trades Association who run the scheme (not the most well attended director as we're always so busy at the fishery!). They've helped with publicity, tackle and participant goodies and a great log book and fish ID booklet.
AT: What would you urge other fisheries to do to help get people near them to take up fishing? Is there a way they can apply for funding?
ST: There's lots of help out there. Contact angling coaches (AT or PAA). Run one event next year - imagine what new opportunities we'd all create for people to join our sport. Get in touch with your Angling Trust Participation officer (they'll help you find funding and ideas to gain volunteers), National Fishing Month, PAA. Get involved and enthused - it's rewarding - challenging and frustrating sometimes but rewarding all the same. Build a team of volunteers - they're key to our sport's future.
AT: What do you think the biggest challenge is in terms of getting kids into fishing, or any other sport for that matter?
ST: Opportunity, availability and cost. There's always been the distraction of computer games but now we've got social media we have to introduce angling to kids when they’re younger, before they own a phone which means getting families involved. Families don't have a lot of spare cash nowadays so keeping the costs down helps. If you've experienced angling as a child you will want your child to do the same – we'll not see a customer for 7 years and they'll turn up with their 7 year old to teach them to fish.
AT: What’s next in-line for Barford? Do you have any further plans or ideas to get more people into fishing?
ST: Where do I start! First we’d like to start a junior angling club at the fishery. We’d also like to make more links with other junior sections in clubs and hope to get them competing against each other. Using social media more is also a plan – Instagram ups the 'cool' of anything to do with youngsters nowadays so we'll be signing up soon. We’ll also be advancing the Tackle Bank so we get more tackle in and out to families who will use it. Personally I want to redevelop the Starter Lake here so we can have a solid double peg for electric wheelchair users and work more with the BDAA and local special needs schools we have links with. It’s certainly going to be a busy task!
