 Club Members Newsletter | January 2025 |
| Welcome to your Clubs Newsletter Welcome to the latest issue of our Angling Trust Clubs Newsletter. The first section of the newsletter includes news and information for your club committee on ways we can help and support you. As we have both freshwater and sea angling clubs, some items may not be as relevant to you, but we hope you will still find them interesting. The second part contains information we would like you to share with your members. If you send out a club newsletter, have a Facebook page or would be willing to put some of this information on your website, we would be very grateful. Tight lines! John Cheyne, Membership & Marketing Manager FUNDING Apply now for habitat and facilities projects  The latest round of the Fisheries Improvement Programme (FIP) is currently welcoming funding applications from clubs and fisheries seeking to improve natural habitats and general facilities for anglers. The application process is open until 31st January. The Environment Agency has made money available directly from sales of coarse and trout fishing licences in England and therefore is ring-fenced for use in England on coarse and trout fisheries.You can read active ‘case studies’ reflecting what type of projects the FIP can support on the blog section of our website. The latest story reflects improvement work conducted on a river stretch in Hertfordshire and how those involved presented their successful application. Read: Working with nature and the FIP For more information on the FIP fund itself and how to apply, click the link below:How to apply for the FIP fund Money available for clubs hit by bad weather  Clubs, fisheries and other community organisations affected by the recent impact of winter storms can apply to Sport England’s Movement Fund to help recover quickly. Supporting emergency relief and helping with costs during a crisis, like flood damage from extreme weather, is catered for by the Movement Fund – with its goal being to get more people active in England.Click here for more details SAFEGUARDING Join our free updated Welfare Officer training  We’ve successfully trained 29 Welfare Officers and 24 committee members through our updated training programme. Now, it’s your turn to make a difference.Why attend? Every club, fishery, and federation needs a Welfare Officer to ensure a safe and inclusive environment. This free, 3-hour online course provides essential safeguarding knowledge for angling organisations in supporting children and adults, delivered by our Designated Safeguarding Lead.Who should attend?Welfare OfficersCommittee MembersDon’t miss this opportunity to strengthen your organisation’s safeguarding practices.Click here to book onto a training course ANGLERS AGAINST LITTER Free litter picking kits and recycling bins for sea angling clubs    The Angling Trust is excited to offer free litter picking kits and Anglers National Line Recycling Scheme (ANLRS) bins to sea angling clubs as part of our Anglers Against Litter – Reeling in Change project, funded by the Marine Management Organisation’s Fisheries and Seafood Scheme. This initiative is designed to support our Anglers Against Litter campaign, sponsored by Shimano and supported by The Insurance Emporium, helping even more anglers join the effort to keep our coastal areas clean and beautiful. If you’re part of a sea angling club and are willing to commit to at least two litter picks per year, all you need to do is: Apply for one of these amazing kits.Share your litter-picking photos with us. Litter kits include Anglers Against Litter High Viz vests and litter pickers made from recycled fishing nets. The ANLRS network, set up by anglers for anglers, offers a fantastic way to collect and recycle old line to stop it going to landfill.Interested? Send us an email with your club details to aal@anglingtrust.net FUNDRAISING Please donate a lot for our online auction  The Angling Trust is a not for profit organisation and fundraising is key to supporting our work. The next phase of this focuses on our online auction which once again takes place in March. As a member organisation, could you support us with an auction lot this year? As in previous years, we are aiming to offer as wide a variety of lots as possible to suit all tastes and budgets. Over the last five years, clubs and fisheries have kindly donated tickets to fish their waters or a day’s guiding. These lots are always popular and it would be fantastic to receive similar donations again. If you believe you can assist us, please be kind enough to complete the auction lot form online by clicking the link below: Click here for Online Auction lot form A member of our team will collate the information and will be in touch a couple of weeks prior to the auction going live in March to confirm final details. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the process or the auction itself, please email our Marketing Manager – samantha.frost-jones@anglingtrust.net ANGLERS AGAINST POLLUTION Form for ordering WQMN replacement kit  A reminder to clubs and fisheries involved in our Water Quality Monitoring Network, we have streamlined the process for ordering replacement consumables such as phosphate reagents, ammonia reagents, and nitrate strips. We have introduced a new order form which should make it easier for you to keep your WQMN kit fully stocked. Anyone with a query about WQMN should email aap@anglingtrust.net Click here to reorder WQMN kit Support Anglers Against Pollution – click to find out more FISHERIES SUPPORT Website to help clubs and fisheries develop  The Fisheries Support Service is a dedicated online portal offering advice and information to any club, fishery and angling venue seeking to grow and improve. Dedicated pages on the Trust’s official website offer downloadable information and advice from industry experts reflecting best practice, regulatory compliance and general guidance in 11 key subject areas including: Construction and developmentUpskilling volunteers and club officialsFunding opportunities for projectsIssues management around habitat, disease or predationParticipation and membershipFish welfare The Fisheries Support Service was launched in October 2024, and is a joint venture between the Environment Agency and the Angling Trust. Click here for the Fisheries Support Service TRADE SUPPORTERS Angling Trust partners with Swimbooker to create online events booking platform  The Angling Trust and Swimbooker Ltd have announced a strategic partnership to develop an industry-first events booking platform. This groundbreaking project aims to deliver a comprehensive, easy-to-use platform for coaches and organisers to effectively manage and promote their events online.Alfie Tilley, co-founder of Swimbooker, said: “We are excited to take this next step and deliver a comprehensive product for the events management sector in angling. This builds upon our existing technology platform, which at its core is easy to use, scalable, and supports growth in the angling market. By working with the Angling Trust to bring this product online, we hope to further make angling more accessible and engage the next generation of anglers to partake in the sport we all love.” Click here for the full story ENFORCEMENT Follow our enforcement news on Facebook The Angling Trust Fisheries Enforcement Support Service directly assists clubs and fisheries across the country with all enforcement related matters, including poaching and fish theft. You can stay updated with all the work the team does, as well as stay informed with news in your area, by following their dedicated Facebook page. Use your phone camera to scan the QR code and join the page.  Our enforcement work is funded by fishing licence income and delivered in partnership with the Environment Agency. RESOURCES Clubs & Fisheries Handbook – how we can help  Our Clubs & Fisheries Handbook outlines how the Angling Trust can support you through advice, resources and practical help. Much of our work to support clubs and fisheries is assisted with funding from fishing licence income through our contract with the Environment Agency. However, many other ways we engage with clubs is funded through membership fees paid by clubs, fisheries, angling trade partners, individuals and other organisations, including our fight against pollution, over-abstraction, angling bans and other threats to our sport. The Clubs & Fisheries Handbook is available to read online. You can also download a pdf copy and share with fellow club committee members or fishery partners. Click here to read Clubs & Fisheries Handbook  COACHING How to become an angling coach – 2-minute read  Becoming a licensed angling coach can be very rewarding and help to inspire the next generation of anglers. This 2-minute read on how to become an angling coach is taken from our annual magazine The Angler. Click here for coaching article |