On Saturday 27th April, Lucy Bowden from Alnwick organised a fly fishing event to raise money for the charity, Fishing for Heroes.

Anglers travelled from far and wide, with some competitors travelling over 300 miles to attend the event which was held at Chatton Trout Fishery in Northumberland. 40 anglers including active servicemen from the Scots Guards and veterans from various conflicts came together to fish in a friendly competition that was supported by local companies, Barbour and Hardy & Greys.

The four hour competition was followed by a hog roast supplied by local butcher, R. G. Foreman & Son, before an auction and raffle were held; the auction alone raised in excess of £1200.

Winners of the competition were Trevor Wadds with heaviest bag at 22lb, catching 21 fish in total. Trevor won a Barbour Jacket. In second place was Andy Richmond with 14.5lb and won a Hardy CLS 5000 Reel and the winner of heaviest fish was Charles Cerventas with two fish at the same weight of 4.5lb.

Lucy Bowden said; “This event was six months in the making and I’m thrilled at how successful it was. The final amount is yet to be calculated as donations came in from across the country but the current amount stands at £3,100. 
“I’m overwhelmed by the efforts that all those involved in making the day a huge success made, and the impact the money raised will have on helping to turn around people’s lives.
“I’d like to thank everyone who supported this event.” 

Paul West from Fishing for Heroes said;
“Fishing For Heroes was founded in 2009 and provides fully expensed fly fishing courses as part of a therapy package for veterans and serving personnel who are suffering from emotional and physiological problems relating to them having been involved in active service. 
“The charity looks after veterans going back to World War 2. Clinical research carried out has concluded that with just a short three day fly fishing course the symptoms of PTSD are reduced by 20%.
“We are extremely grateful to Lucy for organising this event and to Chatton Fishery for hosting the day. Of course we could not have done it without everyone who donated prizes, auction lots and cash donations to the charity.”