A CONTEST between a team of young people and members of a local angling society resulted in a successful day earlier this month.

This August, a small team of young people from ‘Building Bridges’ were challenged by members of the Monmouth and District Angling Society to see just how competitive they were as fishermen and women. The scene of the contest was the large fishing lake at Trippenkennet in Herefordshire where members of the angling society fished alongside the young people to see who could catch the most.

To the project workers at ’Building Bridges’ supporting young people and helping them enjoy and improve their lives is just part of the every-day way of things. To the young men and women being supported, challenging situations in new and exciting environments, particularly those where new skills are needed, offer real opportunities to compete against the best and show just what they can do.

The handicap imposed on the experienced anglers was the need to provide ongoing guidance and advice on technique, baits and fishing depths as well as keeping their competitors well supplied with freshly baited hooks. As the numbers of fish caught by the young people rose steadily at an almost alarming rate, it became clear to the angling society members that winning was out of the question.

The ‘Building Bridges’ team were so far in front that it became a question of who will catch the biggest fish. Undaunted, Sammy Rhys and Dillon caught a total of six carp weighing between two pounds and 4.5 pounds whilst the society catch numbered just two. Pictured are the youngsters with some of their carp caught that day. Each fish was safely returned to the water unharmed and the catch recorded.

The event took place in warm summer weather and all the young fishermen under the watchful eye of project worker Rio Whittaker, agreed it had been a spectacularly successful day.