I know I’ve said it a gazillion times before and will undoubtedly do so again – until the cows come home, I hear you say but, just as life, the doings of the Avon Roach Project are a series of highs and lows at varying altitudes, probably slightly more noticeable due to their concentrated frequency and unpredictability – and this years’ annual fundraiser, held on September 30th, was no exception.
The organising and preparation is simply one bloody great big fat headache, but the result is nothing short of an absolutely amazing event oozing with a feel-good atmosphere it is impossible to describe, and a level of boundless generosity and support that is just eye-watering…
That’s pretty much it, really – basically, a bugger to organise, but a great doo in the end. So, I could leave it there and just finish with the usual line of pictures and captions.
However, I’d like to fill in some of the gaps, if I may, and
if you have the patience for another outpouring…
This year the lows started almost immediately (freefalling
in my head), following the first mailing of invites in June. Almost straight
away I began receiving email after email after phone call after phone call
telling me - Sorry we are going to miss the doo as we are in Ireland, or
Scotland, or Canada, or it’s Dad’s birthday, or I’m at a wedding, or my
birthday, or wife’s birthday, or illness (that’s forgiven) and so it went on…Before I knew it, the attendee list was at minus twenty. It was looking like it was going to be just me and Berol (my imaginary friend – who, incidentally, has never missed a doo).
The attendee list was shrinking like a new fiver in a hot
tumble dryer.
I’m sure you all know where this is going, but following an
early dry spell, the flood-gates opened and the list grew to the usual healthy
room-full. Friends of friends, guests of regulars, brothers, fathers, first-timers
all signed up bringing the attendance to a very respectable sixty four.
Goodness knows what might happen next year… I don’t know why I worry, or bother
to mention it here, as the same tends to happen every year, but you know what
we’re like for milking a bit of jeopardy and drama…
The whole thing was once again the most incredible event and
an absolute pleasure and honour to be a part of.
The auction table was creaking under the weight of an
amazing and diverse array of items, from exclusive fishing days and weekends,
wonderful reels, rods, books, pictures and a whole lot more. It is impossible
to thank and mention everyone here on this BLOG who donate them, but there were
all the very dependable usual’s, which themselves form part of the foundation
of the event each year, as well as the unusual’s, which are all very much
appreciated and help the project go from strength to strength.
It’s worth mentioning here (I’ve resisted doing so before in
an effort to give the benefit of the doubt and to allow a reasonable number of
annual opportunities to pass) that most of the main tackle manufacturers are
sent a request for an auction lot donation each year and the only one that has
never let us down and who sends something every year, without fail, is Peter
Drennan. Some, in fact all the others (other than one who has replied twice in
the eight years) don’t even bother to reply to the letter.
Isn’t it interesting that a project aimed at improving the
health of one of the most iconic rivers in the country, and now influencing and
inspiring similar projects or elements of, throughout the country, can’t elicit
even the slightest response from the companies who rely entirely on healthy
fisheries – except the visionary and generous Peter Drennan.So, whinge over… back to the story. Once again, the fishing was hard… Not sure if it’s the river conditions or the anglers. Unsurprisingly, this provoked plenty of banter in the room, which seems to get better and better each year. This year, again, the match ended up being won with a roach, but unlike previous years where the fish itself warranted the trophy; this year it came in as a welcome saviour…
That said, there were good numbers of fish caught and
especially a decent number of roach. One particularly notable roach catch was
made by regular attendee, great supporter and all-round good bloke Keith
Elliott who managed 48 of ‘em… When was the last time the middle and lower Avon
could boast that? I wonder where they might have come from…
The match should have been won with a magnificent 10oz dace,
which was the best ‘specimen’ of the day, and fully worthy of the highly
coveted trophy and title. Unfortunately, though, there were two 10oz dace
caught – and not by the same person. So, the Management Committee, along with
the Board of Decision Makers, the Policy Commission, the Judging Panel and the
ARP Ombudsman met to discuss the dilemma, and after a few moments, Berol and me
decided to award it to the biggest roach caught on the day. So, regular
supporter and very generous contributor Stuart Brown nearly fell off his chair
when his name was called out to be presented with the trophy, just proving how
fair, democratic, even-handed and impartial the whole affair is.
The whole event was a fantastic success, and the total
raised was once again over the six thousand pound mark which is the very
lifeblood of the project allowing it to continue to be run at full pelt and
relatively financially unencumbered.
I highlighted in my closing statement to everyone just what
this kind of support enables; not just the obvious, but some of the absolute
fundamentals, which might be taken for granted, and which make the most
monumental difference in what is achieved.Right from the moment the roach hatch they can receive the very best, irrespective of the cost, with Brine Shrimp eggs at more than one hundred quid per kilo (I can hatch and feed four kilos in the first couple of weeks of our roach’s lives), then the special cyprinid feed at the varying grades, from fine dust to small pellet, according to growth and demand both in the tanks and of course all the stews and ordered by the sack-load.
The feeding and management has been finely honed over the years and while we might get a fair yield from just dumping spawn laden boards directly into our stews and leaving them to get on with it and take their chance, or feeding with some old trout or general fish feed, we have proved that by carefully managing and giving the roach the best, we can raise at least five or six times the amount of healthy adult roach – we’ve tried it; so we know. And this can only be achieved through having the resources to do so which come from these annual fundraisers.
This year we are experiencing one of the best ever in terms of numbers of fish and growth rates due to the summer conditions and couldn’t resist getting a couple of little underwater films, on the ARP Happy-Snap camera to show you. Links below. Hope you like…
https://youtu.be/ZwZitZb5uOw
So, from the very depths of my heart I would like to give my sincere thanks to everyone who came along to the fundraiser, everyone who donated an auction lot and everyone who raised their hands to bid; to everyone who made a donation, Southern Fisheries for letting us have the Royalty as one of the venues for our fishing match, Ringwood and District Anglers Association for letting us have Severals and Christchurch Angling Club for allowing us to use Winkton, and of course everyone else who continues to support this most amazing project.
The dream continues to come true – for all of us…
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A dining room full of supporters it is impossible to thank enough for their boundless generosity. Smiles and laughs, great food and great company – an atmosphere I wish I could bottle….
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A scenic view of the lots table.
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A couple of the more unusual items on the lots list in the
foreground. The ‘Mad Hatter’ tea caddy contained what Chris Yates describes as
beautifully preserved sea fishing tackle including the spinner on which he
caught his first ever bass – it was a birds-nest in a tin… And the toothpaste
box contained four floats excavated from his creel and presented in what he
described as a lovely ‘float tube’... He should be locked up…
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We are very lucky as each year great supporter and good mate
David Miller sends us some of his fantastic artwork for auction, which is
always extremely popular.
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Another very special annual contribution is a specially made
centrepin reel by David Beale donated by Ringwood Tackle.
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Talking of ‘special’… Special case, Chris Yates, produced
this ‘Waltonian Spell Card’ impregnated with a ‘special potion’ (Redmire water
he keeps in a flask, collected the day he caught his record carp) entitled
‘Cast A Spell To Charm A Fish’ including full instructions on how to cast the
spell… This resulted from a series of amusing telephone conversations I had with
him…
I am unfortunate to suffer from occasional excruciating back
issues and was in the midst of my most recent and particularly debilitating
occurrence and was explaining to Chris on the phone (I’d like to say caused
through pulling trees up by the roots or wrestling cattle or being in the
A-Team, but it went simply as I loaded a box of beer into my car; but don’t let
on…).
He said he’d send me a ‘bone and muscle spell’ that would
ease it and that I should clear my mind of all thoughts and be doing absolutely
nothing at exactly 3-30pm in order to receive the spell…. So, I did… No prizes
for guessing that I wasn’t miraculously able to leap about like a 25 year old
at twenty five to four.
I needed to speak to him again the following day, so asked
him if he’d remembered to send the spell, which he said he had, and I asked when
I might begin to feel the benefits from it, to which he replied… ‘Possibly in
as little as six weeks or so…’
With such amazing powers it was decided to include a fishy
related spell for our auction.
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It was a mad dash to gather the last outstanding promised
auction lots as the fundraiser day got closer, and I spent a delightful
afternoon having lunch with Hugh and Sue Miles and Chris the week before where
they generously loaded me with some wonderful treasures – perfect for the
auction.
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A startled Stuart Brown being presented with the winner’s
trophy for his splendid roach which saved the day.
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After the auction I stand and give a ten or fifteen minute
(people say it feels like days) update on project events and try to express my
thanks to everyone.
I know it might all seem like a formality, but I have tried
to express the feeling before and failed, so will probably do so again here,
but the moment I stand and see all the faces in the room, and as silence falls,
there is an enormous, indescribable rush of honour and humility within me. I
take a deep breath and pause for a moment as I realise that I am about to
address a room-full of folks in an amazing setting having enjoyed a wonderful
meal, a fabulous auction and a day fishing on multiple stretches of one of the
most iconic rivers in the country in aid of a potty idea hatched almost a
decade ago, which all started with nothing but a shed-load of self-belief,
determination and a desire to have a go at making a difference, and was all
held together, back then, with Sellotape and string and was funded through
sponsored haircuts, half beard shaves, burglary and prostitution.
It is the most extraordinary feeling, and continues to be
the most extraordinary journey, thanks to everyone’s boundless support.
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The unsung heroes of the evening, Roy, our auctioneer, and
his better half Jacquie who handles all the payments and receipts and checks
that Roy and I are fully coordinated for the auction – and although only a slip
of a thing she managed almost two helpings of treacle tart and custard… more
than any of the boys did…
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And this is what it’s all about – Roach glorious roach…
This is a shot of probably the most densely populated tank
of fish in the history of the project, taken earlier this year. While an
amazing achievement in itself, I have to also recognise the danger of this
number of roach in such a small space, and the heightened risk of problems
occurring, so will be moving them to the stews as soon as the water temperature
drops significantly.
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And, more glorious roach in the stews at Bickton. If only we
could tell them what is responsible for their numbers and wellbeing…
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As the roach continue to show signs of recovery in the Avon,
and continue to be caught throughout the river in increasing numbers and
regularity, with our first stocked likely to be getting close to that magical
two pound mark soon, it is a real honour to be able to boast having a hand in
it, which has all been, and continues to be, enabled through these annual
fundraiser doo’s.
This little sparkler was one of a number taken a week or so
after the fundraiser from smack-bang in the middle of the river below
Fordingbridge, where we have made multiple deposits over the years.
Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together?
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