Dreamstore Update

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.

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.

September 9, 2008 in All Articles, Projects, Small Grants by admin

Ben, aged 8 years old, with his dad Andy, who helps the young people whenever he is free to join the Halton Brook Children’s Centre Fishing Club team.

Dreamstore has been delighted to provide Halton Brook Children’s Centre some funding towards the Centre’s Fishing Club and a large range of Browning equipment. The first outing with the new equipment took place at Easter 2008.

The Centre approached Dreamstore to help its recently formed Fishing Club, as early starter sessions had proved hugely popular among young people and parents alike. The Centre hopes to use the Club to generate greater community cohesion in an area of considerable disadvantage.

Mo Ball, a Community Development Worker at Halton Brook started to go fishing about eighteen months ago and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. She says:

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, once CRB checks had been completed, we had a great team of helpers on hand and a great means of bringing families and young people together.

Along with the parents and helpers, we have some time committed by local anglers from the Warrington Anglers Association, The Liverpool Housing Trust, and other staff at the Halton Brook Centre.  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. This will allow many more days out for a wide range of young people and parents, from those just starting to those with a little more experience.

Halton Brook Children’s Centre Fishing Club was short-listed for The Healthy Lives Award for Public Authorities, sponsored by Wirral Primary Care Trust, at the Groundwork Merseyside Environmental Awards 2008 for Communities.

View the related Dreamstore Gallery

August 9, 2008 in All Articles, Projects, Small Grants by admin

The Club has held a series of matches over the summer, now possible because of the store of equipment provided by Dreamstore UK.

During one of the matches, 7 year old Ryan Jones landed a 5LB 12oz Bream. Ryan was thrilled with his catch.

Terry Middleton, the Secretary of the Halton Joint Anglers Association who helps with running the club on match days, says this is a wonderful catch for a young boy:

Ryan’s catch represents one of the top three record weights caught by any member of the Halton Joint Angling Club, junior or senior. We are all absolutely delighted for him. He won the monthly ‘Biggest Fish’ and ‘Heaviest Catch’ trophies. Well done Ryan.

May 12, 2008 in All Articles, Projects, Small Grants by admin

Lymm High School students enjoy learning at Meadow View Fishery.

Dreamstore has provided a wide range of Browning-ZEBCO equipment to Lymm High School for a new Angling Club. Eric Hazzard, a teacher at Lymm High School, has ten to fifteen Year 8 pupils meeting each Wednesday lunchtime for an Angling Club Hour – since Whit half term everyone has been taken angling in groups of 4/5 each Wednesday.

Eric explains the range of activities he is organising from the School:

“On Tuesdays we have a small group of Year 9 pupils who are preparing to take an Open College Network (OCN), Angling and the Environment, course in Year 10. This year there have been three Year 10 students taking the OCN course, due to complete by mid-July, who are likely to move on to a coaching course next year. Links and visits have been made with primary schools in the area and it is planned for Year 11 students to coach primary pupils next year when they are coach training.

An inter-hall angling competition has been organised for 15th July for our school sports day: there are 5 halls and 2 pupils from each hall will compete. 16th July it is the school founders day and ten to twelve students, who have had not been able to go angling in school this year will get the opportunity to fish.

Finally, the school has an outdoor centre called Tyn-y-Felin at Rhoscolyn, Valley, Anglesey. Three Summer camps are held each year, and the centre is available for hire and visitors. I am currently working on an angling guide for visitors to use – so that they can seek the advice of Ray Swales, who is the Ynys Mons Angling Club secretary, and the Llyn-y-Gors fishery at Menai. The guide will provide useful information on angling tackle and where to fish near the centre or on Anglesey.  The Centre plans to run angling courses and I have been asked to train up any colleagues, primary staff or other users who want to use the centre.”

April 22, 2008 in All Articles, Projects, Small Grants by admin

Desiree Elliot of Stoke Angling for Everyone thanks Dreamstore for its support in helping bridge a funding gap, allowing the youngest members of SAFE’s Youth Clubs to take part in all the activities.

For a number of years, Stoke Angling for Everyone (SAFE) has organised two Junior Angling Youth Clubs in Stoke on Trent and obtained funding to support the activities of each. The Clubs were originally open to young people in the 13 – 19 age groups. At the same time SAFE’s general activities at local primary schools resulted in over 25 young people aged 9 – 12 yrs attending the clubs. For 2007, this had no additional financial implications for indoor activities, where the room hire is already funded and coaches are voluntary.  Once the young people were taken outdoors, however, there were extra pressures on costs due to the increased numbers needing, for example, transport, entrance fees, and peg fees.

Of course SAFE didn’t want to exclude the younger children from participating fully in all youth club activities, and applied for funding to help to make up the deficit. The difficulty arose in that the extra funding wouldn’t become available until 2008, creating an urgent need for funding to bridge the funding gap and to enable the children and young people to participate in all the planned activities. Dreamstore has been pleased to step into the funding gap.

Dreamstore’s funding enabled all to go fishing at Carneys Pools and Blake Hall fishery, where a number caught their first fish.  Visits included the Blue Planet at Ellesmere Port, where the young people learnt about fish anatomy and fish identification.

And everyone spent a day at Carneys Pools, with owner Carol Carney, learning about fishery management, water quality and habitats. A group also went on a salmon hunt on the River Dove with Environment Agency Technical Officer Mick Buxton.

Thanks Dreamstore.