The Angling Trust, Angling Trades Association and Environment Agency have teamed up to give all anglers the perfect opportunity to introduce someone they know to fishing this month with angling being the perfect activity.
Take a Friend Fishing (TAFF) is back for 2020. From 4th July to the 19th July (inclusive), fishing licence holding anglers will be able to register for a free one-day Environment Agency fishing licence worth £6 to take someone they know fishing.
To take advantage of this offer, all that licence holding anglers need to do is to visit www.takeafriendfishing.co.uk and provide some simple contact details including their fishing licence number and the date of the fishing trip. This will notify their friend who, after checking their details are correct, will be able to go fishing with the fishing licence holder, on the selected day using their own free one-day fishing licence.
To support Take a Friend Fishing the Angling Trust’s Get Fishing Team have created a list of fishing venues that are ideal to take someone during Take a Friend Fishing. They are the perfect places to take a newcomer or anybody who wants to get back into angling after a break from the sport – www.getfishing.org.uk/location
Kevin Austin, Deputy Director for Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment at the Environment Agency said ‘We are delighted to support the relaunch of the Take a Friend Fishing initiative. This is the ideal time for anglers to introduce someone new to our wonderful sport. By providing a free one-day licence to newcomers we hope many will discover the enjoyment of fishing for the first time and once hooked will be inspired to go again and again.
Angling is a healthy activity which anyone can participate in and provides endless options for being outside in the environment, why not encourage a friend to give it a go?”
Clive Copeland, Head of the Participation at the Angling Trust commented; “It’s brilliant to see so many people trying fishing, and the busy angling venues we have seen all over the country are testament to a massive rise in participation numbers. This is not only amongst tens of thousands of people trying fishing for the first time but also the many lapsed anglers who want to get back into angling with friends, family members and colleagues who recognise that this is the perfect time to take a friend fishing.”
Andrew Race, Chairman, Angling Trades Association (ATA). “The ATA’s work with initiatives such as Take a Friend Fishing (TAFF) is long standing. Recruitment is vital to angling as a pastime and to the industry it supports. The opportunity to work collectively with other major stakeholders such as the Angling Trust represents a serious investment for the sport going forward. Recent events have focussed people’s minds on the importance of recreation both mentally and physically, and angling provides the ideal opportunity to achieve those goals and connect with the environment.”
Angling can still be practiced safely and has seen a boom in participation numbers after being one of the first sports to return on 13th May after lockdown guidelines were relaxed. The Angling Trust – the national representative and governing body for angling in England regularly updates its guidelines to anglers, clubs, fisheries, coaches and other angling organisations to ensure fishing can comply with the latest Government guidance during the Covid-19 epidemic. Going fishing is a wonderful way to spend quality time with family and friends and has proven mental health and wellbeing benefits.
For more information and to get a free one-day fishing licence to Take a Friend Fishing, visit www.takeafriendfishing.co.uk.
