What has over 500 participants, a stack of brilliant prizes and enough gudgeon to fill a wheelie bin? It’s got to be the phenomenal Canal and River Trust Celebration of Young People and Fishing!
In an era when some say fishing is hard to sell to kids and families, what an amazing, uplifting phenomenon the CRT Celebration is! Once again, Clubmate was a proud sponsor of the biggest weekend in youth angling, providing support with banners, stewarding, media and software.
We’re still buzzing! The figures alone are amazing: 501 young anglers booked across four age groups, along with a festival atmosphere for all the parents and supporters who attended.
A huge positive for youth angling
“It was an inspirational weekend!” Clubmate General Manager Rob Harris reflected. “I’ve attended for several years now, but this was the best yet. Despite the rough weather, everyone caught fish and the attitude was fantastic.”
For those who don’t know it as well, the Celebration is a huge gathering of young anglers, where every participant is wholeheartedly recognised and rewarded. Generous support came from various sources, with everyone walking away with a Guru goodie bag and a copy of ‘Born To Win’ with 500 copies generously donated by Tommy Pickering for anyone that caught 3 different species. Not to mention some unique treats!
“Being rammed with fish, the Shropshire Union Canal is the perfect setting- and as well as the youngsters, there were hundreds of parents and siblings enjoying the day. From the famous Bridge 51, there were junior anglers as far as the eye could see!” said Rob.
While there are awards for the top rods and teams across three age groups, the main focus is getting together to share the fun and health benefits of angling. And while the best bags of fish included species like bream, roach and perch, the most coveted prize was once again the famous “gudgeon mug”, awarded for all captors of a “gonk”.
“The one thing every kid wanted was the Guru sponsored gudgeon mug!” said Rob. “It’s just as well the canal is heaving with them. A lot of the kids and families came from a long way away for the chance to fish, such is the reputation this event has built. Several kids from my own club came three hours from Peterborough, but others did journeys of that and more.”
“It seems crazy it’s gone from just 17 kids in 2017 to over 500 registered participants less than a decade later, with a bigger attendance than the senior national! This is the pinnacle of junior fishing in the UK – and for a sport like ours that sometimes risks dropping off the radar, that’s remarkable. We’re massively proud to support it and are already planning to make next year’s event another big success.”
For anyone looking to get involved with CRT Let’s Fish Events, or keen to support the event next year, please drop us a line HERE.