Professionals and veterans angling for big fundraising total in Warwickshire
Shrewley Common is the ‘plaice’ to be on Friday, when around 100 anglers – including professionals and former Armed Forces personnel – take part in The Big Fish in aid of Help for Heroes ...
Organiser Paul Brown, Head of Signs & Supplies at Walsall-based construction safety specialist BCS Group, hopes to raise £20,000 to add to an already impressive figure of close to £12,000 from last year’s event.
He explained: “The event is split into two sections: initially, there is a match for all abilities and disciplines of angler to get together and compete for prizes. This gives people who would not normally be involved in competitive fishing the opportunity to experience it.
“The second part is where we have invited professional anglers who are the top of their field, and celebrities in the world of match fishing to come down and coach Armed Forces veterans for the day – give the tips and tricks on how to fish but also help them understand the benefit of the sport for mental wellbeing.”
Help for Heroes’ Veterans Nurse Karen Jamieson supports more than 80 former Armed Forces personnel across the region and will lead a team of veterans at the event. And she loves nothing more than whiling away her spare time on a riverbank enjoying piscine pursuits.
Karen – a 40-year veteran herself – said: “I have a very busy job and fishing is just great for my mental wellbeing. Just sitting on the bank; whether or not I catch anything is irrelevant really. And many of the veterans I work with tell me exactly the same: it’s therapeutic.”
Among the professional anglers confirmed for the event are Will Raison; Des Shipp; Kristian Jones; Paul Holland; Mark Pollard; Kieron Rich; and Callum Dicks. The event, at Tunnel Barn Farm (CV35 7AN), runs from 8am to 5.30pm and tickets, costing £35, are still available.
Help for Heroes champions the Armed Forces community and helps them live well after service. The charity helps veteran families to recover and get on with their lives. It has already supported more than 31,000 people and won’t stop until every veteran gets the support they deserve.
The Charity supports veteran families, from any branch of the UK military – regulars or reserves – irrespective of length or place of service, and locally embedded civilians (and their families) who worked under the command of UK Armed Forces.
To get support, visit helpforheroes.org.uk.