Pic: Iain Freyett from Dorset Police (l) presents the cheque to Callum Graham (c) and David Graham (r) representing Team England.

Dorset Police recently hosted this year’s Police Sport UK sea fishing event at Weymouth fishing an evening match on 11th at Preston Beach and a day match at Abbotsbury and West Bexington (Chesil beach) on 12th Nov.145 competitors came from as far afield as Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland to compete representing 22 Forces with a mix of retired and serving officers.

The event is in its 23rd year and it is customary to hold a raffle for good causes. The raffle prizes are donated by the teams themselves and also with donations from tackle shops and companies (Daiwa, Tronixpro, Shimano, Delta Tackle, Red Gill, Sakuma, 914 Tackle Bournemouth, Christchurch Angling Centre and Weymouth Angling centre).The event went very well despite some inclement weather. The raffle was also a great success and resulted in a very generous donation of £1,500 to the Angling Trust towards the funding of the Team England youth and junior shore fishing squads to assist them in their endeavours at the World Championships next year.

Iain Fryett of Dorset Police explained the reasons for the donation;”I live in Christchurch and about three years ago joined the Christchurch and District fishing club. As a result I fished against some of the youth and junior anglers and saw the level of commitment to their sport. I got to know Dave Graham and Tom Bagnell at Christchurch Angling Centre and again saw the time and effort that both put in towards promoting angling participation by younger anglers and how the successful members of the teams act as a real inspiration for other young anglers. I know they hold regular training sessions on local beaches and have refined their techniques and tackle to incorporate the light continental tactics they have to contend with abroad and I see how this knowledge filters out to anglers in this country.  

Ultimately the efforts of all involved have raised the profile of sea angling and without a doubt attracted numerous younger anglers to the sport. From a Policing perspective young people with an active interest in sport are far less likely to be involved in anti-social behaviour or crime and therefore it should be encouraged. We hope our donation will assist them in their future endeavours and help to develop the skills of future team members.”Ben Thompson, Senior Talent and Competitions Manager for the Angling Trust said;”On behalf of the Angling Trust and the anglers in our Junior and Youth Team England sea angling squads, I would like to thank Police Sport UK for their incredibly generous donation. Competing in World Championships can be expensive and this donation will contribute to reducing those costs and support both teams as they head to the Netherlands to compete in the FIPS-M World Championships 2015.”