Country Focus

Fishing for Schools

Since 2007, Fishing for Schools has taken young people out of the classroom and into the countryside but it's more than getting them hooked on fishing. Founded by fly fisherman Charles Jardine it gives children a chance to learn outdoors, connect with nature and gain new skills and confidence. Caroline Evans joins children from Alway primary school, Newport, Gwent at the nearby Llyswerry Ponds for a lesson in Fishing!

Duration:: 30m
Broadcast on:: 08 Sep 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

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And they've got your back when your kid casually tells you they have a huge school project to do tomorrow. Let's face it, we were all that kid. So first, call your parents to say I'm sorry, and then download the Instacart app to get delivery in as fast as 30 minutes all school year long. Get a $0 delivery fee with your first three orders while supplies last, minimum $10 in order, additional terms apply. Hello and welcome to Country Focus on Caroline Evans. Since 2007, Fishing for Schools has taken young people out of the classroom and into the countryside. But it's more than getting them hooked on fishing. Rather, it's an opportunity to learn outdoors and connect with nature. It's all going on here this morning, isn't it? It really is. It's got some fractious moorhens over there, they're very upset. With me is Charles Jardine from Fishing for Schools, Charles were at Fiswari Ponds in Newport. Yes, good morning. Isn't it lovely? It's not raining. It is beautiful here, isn't it? Quite an unexpected sort of little oasis, really. It really is. I mean, I'm new to the area, and I saw this on the train, looking out, going up to London, you know, that evil place. And I saw people fishing, I thought, cracking it in the middle of an industrial urban backdrop. That's all. Better go and do some investigation, and here we are. Isn't it fabulous? Yeah, because here we are, really, in the middle of a new port, at least on the edge of Newport. And you walk around that corner as you come to the pond, and it's quite breathful, isn't it? It blossoms, isn't it? It's like watching this flower just suddenly bursting into life. It really is quite extraordinary. So you are the founder of Fishing for Schools. What is that? Well, I've been in teaching most of my life one way or another, and I just wanted to take my passion of fishing into the classroom and help young people who are not learning in this more conventional routes and say, look, we can add to this and give them a pastime to take on in their future years. So it's a very simple philosophy, and by taking them out of that classroom and introducing a little bit of sleuth into their work, you know, a little bit of quiet and calm, because young people today are so bound up in social media. There's an element of online bullying. The pressures on young people now are like never before. And I think by giving them something which can immerse them in another world is a really good idea, and it gives them that pastoral pleasure that can relax them and make them able to deal with other things. What ages do you work with? A wide variety, actually, but this particular occasion we're working with years five and six, which brings you into the sort of nine, ten, possibly eleven-year-old category. And then we'll go up to about fourteen, but once you get beyond fourteen, fifteen, really, they're making up their own minds and going to be following a different route. So, you know, this to me is a formative time. Yeah, so primary school today. How many schools do you work with? This year we've got thirty-four nationally, and it's quite a juggling act trying to get coaches, got them in Yorkshire, we've got them in Somerset, we've got them here in Wales, we've got them all sorts of places, and coaching is not for everybody. You know, they're dealing with sometimes quite serious issues, and so having a coach that's empathetic with the young people is very important. How do schools sign up for this? Can anyone get involved? Well, they can, but when I started it, there were two key elements. It was always going to be free to state schools, and we were to actually pay our coaches, because I wanted a group of professional-minded people that would commit. These young people need that continuity in their lives. And there's another track, and that's what I mean. That's how I came across this pond. I looked at that window and I'm like, "Oh, look, there we are!" But yes, so what they do is they apply in September, and then we have to filter through, because we've got a finite budget. This year alone, I had to say goodbye to 90. I had to say, "I'm terribly sorry, we're oversubscribed," and that's so hurtful. And how is it funded? Well, we've got a remarkable young Welsh lady called Katchen Robinson, who sends out applications to companies, to firms, to anyone that wants to become involved, so we can draw down funding that way. I, at the weekend, did a half marathon down in Kent, and had to catch fish first before I started, which, thank goodness, it was quite quick. And I was sponsored to do that, and we've got places in the marathon. So it's a number of sources. You know, we never say no. So this is really a passion for you, isn't it? It's a madness. It's an all-consuming madness that drives you, and, you know, I'm 71 now, and I really shouldn't be doing this at my age, but I do, and I'm happily doing it. Where does this love of fishing come from? I'll never forgive my father. I come from a long line of angles, you know, as long as I can remember I've fished, and it's taken me all over the globe. My father was a painter, and I got my love of art from him, and that I've managed to weave into angling, and I've managed to write books and all sorts of things. But, yeah, it's my father that infuse me, and I can still remember the moment, and still remember the fish. I can still remember everything about that day. Wow, your first fish. First fish was a perch. I was three, and the place was Holden's mill in Canterbury, and it looked like a huge world. It was massive, you know, there was this dark, deep area in front of me that seemed limitless, and, you know, I caught this brightly striped, wonderful fish. I mean, most people's first fish is a perch. I think they were put on this planet to actually infuse us into fishing, but I went back there the other day. It's tiny, you know, so places diminish as you get older, but it brings in all sorts of things. I mean, that's what we've tried to do with fishing for schools, is to bring in a care for the countryside to understand natural beauty, to bring that natural beauty into their lives, not take it for granted. And it's that memory, Charles, that you're hoping to pass on to these children. Yeah, that little sort of bright spark that illuminates their world after. I'm Lee, Lee Hooper. Hello, I'm Julie Wicks, and I'm a fishing coach, and I'm doing what I love, teaching kids to fish. Julie and I, we've been working for fishing for schools for probably about 12 years now. It's great to see the countryside, the outdoor classroom, the benefits the kids get from being outside is great. You know, they love it. Something a little bit different like this. It's probably really good for kids who probably aren't doing quite so well in school, because it's amazing how much actual schoolwork you can put in and around fishing. So the kids are doing something fun, enjoyable, and educational at the same time, so it's great. So we're waiting for the children from all-way primary school, which is just down the road to Turner. What are the types of things that you're teaching them? Do you have a curriculum that you follow? Basically, yeah, there are certain things. Obviously, one of the most important things we get across first is water safety, safety by water. And then fish safety is probably the second most important thing. You know, if you're going to catch a fish, you know, to look after it, care for it, not hurt it. And then we just obviously try and make it as fun and as safe as possible, and it's great. And Julie, this is not just about what you do at the lakeside. This scheme goes further. I understand you do cooking and educational things in the classroom. Well, when you take a school on, they get four free sessions, and the first session is usually in the classroom, and it's educational and it's kind of preparing them for what to expect at the fishery. We show them fish and we show them tackle and we show them how to set up in the classroom. And one thing I'm pretty sure of, like Lisa, we go into schools where children are disadvantaged in some way, and I truly believe that fishing is therapeutic, and it gives the children something. You can see them getting hooked sometimes. They've been bitten by the fishing bug. And that is so rewarding. And job satisfaction is just out of this world. Amazing. What is it about fishing then that do you feel it's therapeutic for them? You end up in your own little bubble, and you're thinking about the fishing and what you're doing, and anything else, all your worries and everything, why are you fishing? They're gone, and you concentrate on your fishing and catching a fish and feeling that first tug is so thrilling for a child. And then they get the fish out, and then, you know, when we first start teaching, I'm not touching maggots. I'm not doing this. I'm not doing that. And then by the end of it, they're doing it all voluntarily and loving every minute of it. By the fourth session, you hope they're fairly independent. The only thing you tend to help them a lot with is what's called 'disgorging'. And that's if a hook goes down further than the lip, and we've got a special tool for that. That's quite a lot for kids to take on. And then, again, some of them want to end up trying to do it on their own, don't they? It depends how bitten by the bug they are. And so what have you got planned for them here today? Because you've got the chairs laid out in the rosé? Yeah, this is the third session at the lake, fourth session altogether, so we'll be finishing with the school today. And at the end of it, they get their anger and trust certificates. And hopefully they all go away with big smiles and their certificates. Lee, how many children have you got coming down today? Eight today, I think, with this group. We normally deal with groups of between, sort of, six, twelve. A lot of these kids, you know, any angler will tell you they always remember their first fish. It's a very special moment. So we try and make that moment as special and as magical as possible. Because you're building a memory they are going to remember for the rest of their lives. It's great to be part of that moment. Yeah, it's brilliant. And a lot of the kids, even if they don't take fishing up now, they'll come back to it later on in life. That's exactly what happened to me, and more or less you, mustn't it? You've got taught by your uncle and your dad, and I got taught by my grandfather, and I lived near a river so I did a lot of fishing. And then you sort of get to teenage years and it goes by the window, and then you get married. And then you tend to go back to it, and Lee and I met, didn't we? And we both discovered that we've been taught to fly fish. So we both started going out fishing, and that was twenty-one years ago. And we just do it as often as we can. You never get fed up with it. If you're bitten, it's lifelong. We're here kind of kids, and they're excited, I can tell. They usually are. They really look forward to this. We've been really enjoying this school. This has been a brilliant school to work with. Oh, come on. You get a war for the boots. Norah, I've got boot envy. I've got to say, they're fantastic. We start. We're just great for the others. And Carly, can you come over here for a second, please? We all gather together. Now, so far, we've been catching the most fish. This time, as a group, I want you to catch the biggest fish. Now, what do you think happened over the last few weeks? Where do you think the biggest fish have been? At the bottom. At the bottom. At the bottom. How do you know to get to the bottom? Wait a while. The weight population. Yeah, the weight. Well, you've got to do that, but you've got to find out where the bottom is, haven't you? Right, so Lee and Julie are going to work with you to work out where the bottom is. So, Lee, Julie, go to your stations. Now, I want you all to remember what that weight is called. Right, there's your maggots. Thanks. Where do you get them from? Or do you catch them? Getting from a fishing shop. Oh, Chad, you've got three maggots. Can I hold one? They've got no mows and all they can do is wiggle. Yeah. That's not the bag, is it? I love one of them. Of course. Right. Got your hook. How are you? I want you to remember what this is called because Charles is going to ask you at the end of the session. Oh, wait a minute. It is a way. It's a time you're like going to need it. I see that. Have you passed? That's tangy weather. Now, remember what it's called. It's called a plummet. A plummet. A plummet. The plummet. And what you do with the plummet, you put the hook through and then see that orange bit on the bottom. Yeah. Yeah. You get the hook to go in there like that. That's your plummet. And you use a plummet to gauge the depth. So, if I put this out, see how it's pulled the float down? We're direct. So where's the float? We've got to go up all down. Up. What you want is the float sitting nicely. Yeah, that's water. All right. Let's try again. You roughly the same place. Still to. I didn't realise it was quite so deep there. Ah, the line is tangled. Oh, good. Hello. My name is Alex. And this is our fishing lesson. And it's really cool. Because me and Riley's call them 31 fish before, 31 small fish. So, I'm hoping we catch more. My name is Riley. We're just waiting for the line to get tangled. Then Alex is going to put the rod out. It'll be untangled in a minute. Here we go. It's untangled. The fishing is really fun. Our first lesson was four weeks ago. Because we have it every Thursday. I'm going to try and catch a fish now. We've never caught a really big fish me and Riley before. See you boys. Look like experts here. Look, as if you know what you're doing. We do. We do. We're first in the leadable, I think. Here we are. We're winning by two. No, 20. 20. Yeah. No. Because Norva's team only got 19 last time. But Shakaya's team got 30. Well, we got 31 last time. And we might win the prize this time. But this is our last session. So, whoever catches the biggest fish will probably win. It's not our last session. Yeah, it is. Is it? Oh, you're disappointed about that. Yeah. You've enjoyed this then. Yeah, really. But because now I know how to fish, my dad can take me down to like a lake or something or here. I'm just going to go fishing then. Because I've learned how to fish. I've got my own fishing kit and I can catch more fish then. Oh, so this is you for life now. You're going to be an angler. Yeah, a fisherman. It would be like one of the things I do when I'm older. But I don't want to be a fisherman. I don't want to be like doing it almost like every day or something. It would be like once a week or something when I'm older or something. Because it's just for entertainment. Like all you do is sit and just wait for fish. And it's just kind of seeing like if you're going to catch a small fish or a big fish. It all depends with the fishing bodies or on what way it is. Maggot to like only small but sometimes they have worms and worms are like bigger. So you can have like a more bigger fish come. So what do you like about fishing then? It's just when we sit down it is really fun to just fish itself. Like one might ask my dad if I can go fishing once. He said one day in the week where we never got to it because he was always working. But now this is like a really fun opportunity for me. Because sometimes there's nothing to do in a day. But if I tell my dad if he's off work I could just ask him if we can go fishing. And we can catch a big fish. So yeah, very good right there. Have a seat. Right I'm going to get you started because you haven't fish yet. So the erod tip down when that orange top is the top of your float. When it bobs under the water lift to set your hook into the fish. Alright and it has to be quite a quick movement. Alright. I pull it up. Yep. I pull it up. I pull it up. Because the fish. I put the maggots underneath your chair so you won't kick them over and you're off. Okay. My name is Dora. I just caught a fish. It's not just any fish. It's a rut. I just caught a rut. There you go. Isn't it beautiful? It's a really small fish and it has orange fins. Really wiggly. And then you throw them back in do you? Yeah but we don't like throw them. Just like give them a little chuck. So it doesn't get hurt. The last time I did it I caught 19. But my highest was like 20 something. Wow that's quite impressive. You're quite an expert now then. Not really an expert. I can't really do it really well. But when I learn how to do it I'll be doing it a lot of times. We're going to use those tools now. So like what the bus is going to do like a thing. And what the bus is going to do? Yeah. And one of us is going to do a net. So we take it in turns. Brilliant. My name is Claire Aspinor. I teach an all-way primary school. I teach you a 5-6. And all of the children that are here with us today are children from year 5 and 6. Why did the school get involved with this, Claire? I found out about it through a friend. So we had to put in the application and got selected. And then we were allowed to choose roughly about 10-12 children who were able to come over for 5-6 weeks. And it's just brilliant. The opportunity has presented them with. Let's have a little look. Oh my goodness. So what's the fish called? A run. That's quite a big one yeah. So the criteria really for selecting the children was children who might not have the opportunity to do this outside of school. Children who just wouldn't be presented with the chance to go fishing. Well they are clearly enjoying every minute of this. That might be surprising to a lot of people. You know, modern day children used to their video games, lack of attention span. And yet they're enjoying something that's as slow as fishing. Fantastic, just watching them actually just sat calmly, so engaged. And some of the children over here actually struggle with focusing, concentrating, occasionally regulating their emotions. So to see them out here enjoying it sat calmly, all engaging, all on task. It's just so good for their well-being. Really lovely to see. Charles has just informed us that when he comes back after half-term, each of the children involved are going to get their own pole set. So they're going to be able to carry this on and possibly educate their own families. But then what it means is because some of the children are year five, they will now have the skills that they can transfer to some of the other children in school. So this is something that we're really hoping we can continue. Definitely. You clearly think it's worthwhile because a curriculum is so pushed for time isn't it in the modern school. But yet you're making time for this. It's just so important. It's so important for their well-being and it's different skills. I mean the teamwork going on is amazing. They're sat together, they're engaging. You just listen to them talking to each other. We've got boys working with girls, you know. At this age of that in itself is amazing, they're just getting on with it. They're engaging with adults, with their peers. It's just such an amazing opportunity. I think we're going to net that one. That is a nice one. What kind of fish is it? It's a fish of summer and rub. Because that's a good one. I'm going to put it in to keep that over there. I'm going to see because you caught two big fish in a row, so I put that behind there. Charlie! I caught the biggest fish! What do you think, Kevin? Because this is your first time fishing, isn't it? I think that is good because I've only fished when I was young. This is my first time in years. And I've caught the biggest fish in my group so far. That's amazing! You're keen to get your line back in and catch another one. My name is Kirsty. Hi, my name's Morgan. I'm putting maggots onto the hook. You've got to watch the float and when it's pushed down a little bit, but it comes back up, it means fish are taking bite to there. When it goes all the way down, you've got to pull it up. That means the fish has got on it. Sometimes they get stuck in his mouth. You have to call the professionals. You have to have patience for it. You have to have patience to do this. I really like waiting because you can just watch the float float around. I went right under. But you've got to lift it up because you never know. The bait might actually be gone and a fish might have just nicked it off you. Which I really hate that. I just hate when the fish are just like, "Oh, fruit! Oh yeah, you've got to have survived." And then you put it up and you're like, "Oh, it's my big gone." Well, we've stepped away now from the children to have a chat with Ben Edbins. Now, Ben, what's your involvement? We, Angley, much. At least the lake from the Can you borrow a cancel? We try and run the lake. Keep it community or base. It's quite deprived around this area and there's children who haven't got much. So we've tried to create this little gem here for him. And we just want to encourage the children to come fishing with their parents. Mainly for the mental well-being side of things. We have several different schools, five days a week here. And we've noticed that impact is sad on them. They'll sit there and engage on a chair for half, half, half, or 45 minutes. And the teachers are like, "Oh my God, he's actually sat there." Well, you've seen it yourself the small in their faces, catching not very big fish. But it's just in an eight, in an eight and they love enjoying it. Honestly, the diary is full with these schools and everyone is fantastic. Well, you mentioned that this is a gem, it is very pons. And it really is a gem, isn't it, to look at. I'm curious, has it always been here? There's a long story behind how it got here. In the 1800s, it was a work in limestone quarry. And then in 1892, they hit a natural spring and they hit it down at 25 foot. They went for lunch. They come back, it was flooded. They couldn't control the water. So that's when it became known as Lizwary quarry back then. And then I think Newport Anglin Association perched it in the 1900s. And it's been a fishing lake for 124 years. Well, you wouldn't really know that it started out in that way because it looks like a natural piece of water with beautiful flowers and trees all around it. What's in it? The type of fish in here, we have two different types of eel. We have a green eel and a big silver eel. They go up to about eight pound in weight. We have carp, probably between 160 to 180 carp. The smallest being about 10 pounds, the biggest being about 27 pounds. We've got a good head of pike, which we allow pike fishing in the winter, which is seasonal, which runs between October and March. And then we've got all your normal coarse fish like tents, bring, ropes, red, perch. Match Anglin's favourite, we call them. We've done a lot of work on the lake. Biomash is very important in the water, controls the oxygen, the phosphorytes, the nitrate and all that. We do regular dips of the pond just to keep the ammonia levels and the pH levels okay. The yellow flag area you can see all of the year range and all the other marginal plants. Big part in a pond because they're filtration and oxygen plants. We've just put these in there. These are called corals, and they've got a lot of filtration and oxygen and oxygen plants in. And we've had to stake them in, because whether climate is like wianna, the banks that are eroding. So these will grow into the banks and they'll start holding the roots back. And we're trying to do it without machinery, trying to keep it natural. We work closely with natural resources, whales on this, and they've suggested this, and it'll help structure the banks for the future. So to create this beautiful, natural looking landscape, there's an awful lot of work that's going on. It is. It is. So we're constantly on it like this time of year. It is a bit of a nightmare because we've got all the young wildlife and the swans. So we're trying to protect it as much as we can with a big green structure here because we've planted 750 trees with all-way primary school in the area. Solar panels, oxygen pumps, and trying to keep it green climate. And back to the fish, presumably everything that you catch here gets thrown back in. Everything is caught in release, yes, and the handling as well. As long as they handle them with care and use the correct equipment, we're constantly on to anglers. And to be fair, the members are fantastic, you know, they all do their bit, they all look after it. And we've got three separate rules. We ask everyone to follow them. The team are walking rained, making sure people are fishing with the right equipment, the correct rigs, correct baits. It works here for us, and as long as other fisheries do it as well, this is either fish last or longer. Some of these fish are 40, 50 year old in here. The older carp, they're the pristine ones as we call them, and it's just looking after them really. And that's what you're teaching the children now to do, is how to do it properly really. It is, and that's it, and, you know, we don't turn old children away, all we ask for because of the depth of the lake. And the 16s must have an adult over 18. Possibly some future members for you here. Definitely, there's a few of them, like, they're so excited, even the machine I'm coming up here today. It's brilliant, honestly. Come on, then, boys, right away. What has your head teacher done today? He's caught up with us. He's caught up with us. And who ensured that happened? So we've actually, out of this group, Kevin's come into us late. On what's he done, he's caught the biggest fish that we've had for all the sessions. It's just the last session. All right. Oh, there's those ones. Yeah, they're upset about something. If you think from where you started, you couldn't put anything on a hook. You didn't know what a fish was. So, oh, is he? That one. It's a big swan upset with a goose. If you're a goose, everyone's upset with you, really. So what is it when you all work together as a team? You've worked as a team. So, would you all like to give yourselves a huge round of applause? That's the end of the session, here at Le Sweary Ponds. My thanks to the Children of All Way Primary School for letting us join in the fun. That's it for this week from me, Caroline Evans, and the country-focused team. Thanks for listening. And stay safe. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart choice. Make another smart choice with Auto Quote Explorer to compare rates from multiple car insurance companies all at once. Try it at Progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. 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