For any firm to stay in business for 50 years it’s an achievement. In the tackle shop trade it’s a minor miracle, but that’s just what Midlands shop Banks & Burr is celebrating this month.

Owner Dave Burr’s big break came in 1965 when he won the National Championships, then by far and away the most prestigious match on the calendar. He also led his team to victory on the King Sedgemoor Drain and his winning weight of over 75lb stood as a record for decades. Winning this 1000-plus peg event guaranteed national stardom, and a pretty tidy sum of money, and anglers travelled far and wide just to visit his shop in Coventry. Incredibly, even though it’s had to change and expand many times to keep up with the changing face of angling, the shop has remained on the same premises and boasts countless loyal customers. Congratulations to Dave and his family.