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Coaching new anglers, coaching new coaches.

As usual, we’ve been doing loads to help raise the profile of our sport locally and get even more people hooked on angling.

People of all ages have had the chance to give fishing a go at a range of well-attended local events, including:

  • the Norfolk Anglers Conservation Association’s open day at Bawburgh, where nearly 100 children were able to try their hand at fishing
  • the Norfolk Salmon and Trout Association’s ladies open day, which they ran with our help as part of National Fishing Week
  • Bungay Cherry Tree Angling Club’s  event, which we helped them organise and run.

Helping the youngest ever angler register as a coach

We have also been supporting clubs by helping anglers become coaches. This year, this included Abigail Brewster, who at 16 years and 10 months, is now the youngest ever recorded angling coach.

Abi attended a coaching course held at Barford Lakes, Norfolk, in June 2008 just three months after her 16th birthday. Sponsorship for her course came from the Environment Agency and an Awards for All grant from the Norfolk Anglers Conservation Association.

Mark Brewster, Abi’s father who is a Level 2 Coach with the Gipping Valley AC & Suffolk County AAA, said, “Achieving the Level 1 qualification is a fantastic achievement for Abi. Ironically, we’d just returned from her school where she'd been in tears of joy and relief at seeing her 11 GCSE A* grades, only to find her Level 1 pass letter on the doormat the same day! And she achieved full marks on that too!”

Abi is due to coach at the next Norfolk Anglers' Conservation open day, which is taking place on 7 June at Bawburgh Lakes.