A great Christmas gift for any angler

[The fishing coach]

Are you looking for the ideal Chistmas gift for a friend or relative who fishes? Tackle is a difficult choice as it can be very much a personal preference and buying an item of tackle that the angler already has can be embarassing (let's be frank, I don't even know what I've already got...).

So why not buy a year's membership to the Angling Trust! This is the new, single organisation to represent all game, coarse and sea anglers in England. They will lobby government, campaign on environmental and angling issues and run national and international competitions. They will increase participation in angling by people of all ages and backgrounds. They will fight pollution, commercial over-fishing at sea, over-abstraction, poaching, unlawful navigation, local bans and a host of other threats to angling. You will not only show that you are thinking about them at the festive season but you will be helping them to make a real contribution to the sport that they love and helping the Angling trust at the same time.Any angler worth his salt should be a member . An excellent gift for the new angler as it will get them involved in their first angling community and give them a feeling of belonging.

Members get the following benefits all for just twenty pounds a year, the ideal present for any angler and if you pay by direct debit then the gift will be renewed each year. One less present to worry about each Christmas!

Menbership applications are here.

The trust says

The Angling Trust is here to represent you and to ensure the future of our sport. Help us to help you, stand up and be counted, join today. You can support the Angling Trust for less than 39p a week and get several great member benefits. Your subscription is important, it will make your voice heard. The more anglers who join, the louder our voice and the more we will achieve - for you the angler.

[peter crabtree]

Can we have an applauding emoticon please........

[Steve Spiller]

Hmmm?

Martin, are you speaking for the Angling Trust or was it a crafty plug for yourself?

[The fishing coach]

No plug intended Steve, most of my coaching is done with local government and I have more work than I can deal with!

I've recently been asked to join the advisory panel under John Wilson et al and I am trying to find ideas to increase the membership of the Angling Trust.

[Peter Jacobs]

Originally Posted by The fishing coach

and I am trying to find ideas to increase the membership of the Angling Trust.

A good start might be to trawl some of the threads here on FM on just that topic.

A follow-up might be to realise that those anglers who were going to join, based on the first principles of the AT, have already done so, the others (the great majority) are probably waiting to see some firm results (?)

PGJ membership number 39456.

[The fishing coach]

Originally Posted by Peter Jacobs

A good start might be to trawl some of the threads here on FM on just that topic.

A follow-up might be to realise that those anglers who were going to join, based on the first principles of the AT, have already done so, the others (the great majority) are probably waiting to see some firm results (?)

PGJ membership number 39456.

Hi Pete
A couple of months ago I read everything on this forum about the problems the Angling trust was experiencing and a few other forums as well and I listed all the good ideas in a document that was consulted at the first meeting at the beginning of October of the rescue team headed by John Wilson. This was part of the reason I was asked to join the panel.

A follow-up might be to realise that those anglers who were going to join, based on the first principles of the AT, have already done so, the others (the great majority) are probably waiting to see some firm results ?)

I hope you are wrong on this point - the Trust is in real trouble and needs more members soon if it is not to fail. A number of people much more important and influential than me are giving up their time, for nothing, in order to try and rescue our last chance of speaking with one voice. They are not doing this for the entertainment of what you describe as "the vast majority", if they wait much longer the trust will fail and we as anglers will lose our only chance. We will have lost our credibility in the political scene and will never be taken seriously again.

The Angling Trust does not need people sitting on the sidelines watching with interest - we need them to commit, sign up as quickly as possible and participate in bringing about the "firm results" that will surely come about when anglers are speaking with one voice!