Dreamstore Update

August 5, 2010 in All Articles, Community, EAZ, Social Inclusion by editor

Dreamstore’s Education Action Zone, angling’s fun indoor learning experience, has reached Scotland. First Monday of August saw a training day to introduce the first DEAZ to Action for Youth Development (AFYD) at St Ninian’s Parish Hall, in Paisley. A mix of young people, adults, AFYD volunteers and coaches spent an afternoon learning the scope of the activities and the possibilities offered to introducing people to angling.

Paisley’s AFYD leader, Ian Williams said:

“We had looked at the pictures on the Dreamstore website, but the actual experience and the potential for the Action Zone are very, very exciting. We can’t wait to get started. In fact, we will use it next week. It is great fun, and provides instant success. Delighted this has reached Scotland.”

July 18, 2010 in All Articles by dhoey

Even Matt Hayes had to start sometime, somewhere. He had family to hand. One of the biggest reasons why people don’t start fishing is simply because they have no one to take them or show them the basics.  That is why Matt supports Dreamstore UK in finding ways for people to help people to go fishing.

May 19, 2010 in All Articles, Community, Disability, Small Grants, Social Inclusion by editor

Glamorgan Anglers Club has an active community programme, always seeking to broaden the offer at its waters for people of all ages and ability. The Club is very much focused on angling participation for all and has been particularly active finding ways to increase angling access for the disabled angler.  

The Club requested a small grant from Dreamstore, to cover the cost of five very large umbrellas.  The Browning umbrella is 2.5 metres wide when open, which allows a wheelchair user and helper stay dry from the rain or shaded from a hot sun.  Dreamstore is delighted to see that good use is being made of the umbrellas and that this small grant goes a long way to improving the angling experience for the disabiled angler.

April 2, 2010 in All Articles, Community, Small Grants, Social Inclusion by editor

Iain Mackie is the community leader at INTACT (subject of an earlier post), and here along with volunteer Keith Laycock they each outline the benefit of building angling into the programme of community activities around Ignol, Preston.

in All Articles, Disability, Small Grants by editor

Southlands Angling Club is a project within Southlands School, near Lymington, Hampshire. Southlands School is a residential special school for around 50 boys aged 9- 16 years old with a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome and associated conditions.

Most of the pupils are of average or above average ability; however significant difficulties in a range of key areas of development affect their everyday life. These difficulties may embrace social understanding and communication, flexibility of thinking, motor skills, coordination and sequencing skills, attention and concentration, and anxiety when faced with new situations or change. Challenging or manipulative behaviour is a common response to anxiety making it difficult to access mainstream community facilities without support. These skills have to be taught gradually over time. Many pupils have very low self confidence and self- esteem and find the classroom learning environment extremely challenging.

Within the grounds of the school there was a small disused lake. Some pupils expressed interest in fishing this lake. It became clear that fishing, even using a stick with line, was a positive experience and more importantly our lake had fish. The interest in fishing snowballed, with the school council suggesting restoration of the lake so that pupils can use it as part of “Southlands Fishing Club” during evenings and at weekends.

Two taster days were arranged with “Fun 2 Fish” where 12 pupils were given the opportunity to try fishing with professional coaching. These days were a fantastic learning experience. Pupils who normally have difficulty managing their anxiety, controlling their behaviour and remaining on task in the classroom, spent 5 hours at the lake; fully engaged, relaxed and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

January 21, 2010 in All Articles, Small Grants by editor

Elsewhere we have provided an update on the progress of Halton Brook Children’s Centre, Runcorn

We recently met with Mo Ball, the Community Development Worker at Halton Brook who explained the value of the early provision of a small grant to get an angling group organised at the Children’s Centre:

“During my work with parents in the community I started to talk about fishing and how enjoyable and relaxing it was. Some of the parents told me their children wanted to go fishing, but had no-one to help or go with them.  I thought this would be a good reason to start the fishing club. Early starter sessions were a huge success.  By bringing along the parents on days out we had a great team of helpers on hand and a great means of bringing families and young people together.”

“Buying the equipment would have been a big challenge as this would have been very expensive and not within our resources, so we are very pleased Dreamstore was so generous.”

January 6, 2010 in All Articles, Small Grants by editor

Dreamstore is pleased to be able to support the PISCES (Promoting Inclusion and Self Confidence through Environmental Sport) project, working with people recovering from mental health difficulties. We provided a small grant of angling equipment, supplied through our partnership with Zebco-Browning.  As it has grown and expanded we are delighted to be able to continue with this support to provide additional equipment to new groups in and around Leeds. 

To PISCES it is not just the fishing itself that is therapeutic, it is everything that goes with it, sitting and relaxing in peaceful surroundings, listening to the birds singing, all which adds to the experience.

December 2, 2009 in All Articles, Dreamstore Academy by editor

We are delighted to be able to announce three further Academies in Scotland in 2010, one in North East Scotland, Blairgowrie and one in the Central Belt, Whitburn, both starting in January, and one planned for Orkney sometime after Easter. This will bring the total number of Dreamstore Academy qualifications delivered in Scotland to over 100 in under three years, which is a tremendous achievement.

Providing coaching qualifications that offer ideas and approaches to applying angling as an activity offered within education, youth and community activities provides a tremendous return on social investment.  Like learning to drive, once the qualification is completed there is a lifetime of learning and engagement in passing on advice and support to those who wish to start or improve on their angling.

For more information on Dreamstore Academy go to our main website www.dreamstore.org

September 20, 2009 in All Articles, Small Grants by editor

The picture tells the story of catching a fish for the first time better than any words on a page.

The picture was taken on a day out with INTACT organised through the Ingol & Tanterton Community Trust which Dreamstore supported with a small grant to buy angling equipment from a local tackle shop.  Angling is delivered through INTACT’s youth club, which is community centred.  The Environment Agency has provided some support in respect of fishery development for the group, though they have also successfully negotiated with a local farmer for free use of fishing on his land. 

The Community centre supports an area of general deprivation, and the project engages with kids between 8-16 years old who wouldn’t have much else to do.  The idea of the Club is to encourage the young people to take ownership of their recreation, under supervision.

in All Articles, Scotland by editor

The 2009 Dreamstore Academy has taken place in Blairgowrie High School.  Blairgowrie is the centre of Angling For Youth Development (AFYD), and many of the participants were gaining a coaching qualification to help in their local AFYD groups already in existence, or on the planning board for later in the year. AFYD participants included a number for Paisley and Renfrew which is developing rapidly. In 2009 AFYD hopes to engage around 500 young people in its projects and courses, and it is expecting to be able to double this number in 2010.

Also attending Blairgowrie were coaches for the Scottish Anglers National Association international youth and ladies teams.  Once again sea, coarse and game anglers worked together to help build angling’s engagement with young people and new anglers, with our tutor/assessor team including SFSA, SANA and BDAA members. This Dreamstore Academy course produced a further twenty people with SQA accredited coaching qualifications at Level 2 standards, to SQA mapped UKCC outcomes.