Glamorgan Anglers Club Limited

Disabled Angling Information.

Annual Disabled Anglers Competition 2008 held at Treoes pond 14/8/08

During the past twelve months the club has invested in making safe, accessible and comfortable fishing at Pysgodlin Mawr, Gribbles Covert and Treoes Ponds. With further development in the pipeline we will see venues with unparalleled access and facilities for all of our members to enjoy. It was at Treoes Ponds in Bridgend that this years inaugural Annual Disabled Anglers Competition was held.

Again we were blessed with glorious sunshine on competition day and what a welcome relief from the deluge of rain we had seen in the week leading up to the 14^th. Our volunteers were out at first light clearing the island fringes and making sure everything was spick and span.

Maureen, ironing the raffle tickets and cooking fresh bread , smiling with the sunshine as the competitors arrive.

The competition has several awards and there were prizes for the following categories…

Overall Winner
Best Specimen Fish
Best Silverfish
The MOJO award –a trophy awarded to the top wheelchair angler
The coveted SPAM award, awarded to the ‘best effort’ competitor.

The trophies…

Each entrant also received a certificate for the event..

A fine presentation of trophies and with a certificate too what else could an angler want?

I’ll tell you the answer to that one…bacon and sausage sandwiches, freshly cooked and served by our club secretary!! And guess who got the unenviable task of feeding everyone?..yup that’s right, me. Off to the kitchen I go and I’m closely followed by our voluntary waiter Addy and chief taster Colin Farnham.

The competitors, in no special order were…

Keith Forward
Richie Phillips
Daniel forward
Jenny Collins
Gerald Lee
Ivan Shaw
Anthony Griffiths
Chris Brown
Alan Collins
Andrew Parsons
Peter Goodridge

The competition ran from 11 am to 3 pm and there were plenty of fish being caught with several large carp landed and some lovely silverfish were in the bag too. Here are the competitors, enjoying the weather, enjoying the scenery and loving the fishing…

A fine turnout and everyone thoroughly enjoying the day. One thing that really struck me on day the was this, put simply…remove the obstacle of access from a venue such as Treoes and EVERY angler, disabled or able bodied, has an even field on which to compete. The hard work and investment by the club and all those involved has provided this unique environment for all of our members to enjoy and I know I can speak on everyones behalf in thanking them for their efforts and unrelenting commitment.

Once again a competition is all too soon over and our competitors gather at the office for the presentations..

To present the trophies we were joined by our club chairman Jon Taylor, Ida Tavernar representing the EA and Janet Morgan-manager of the Community service Team,Bridgend. The results were announced and the award ceremony got under way..

Overall Winner, with a bag of 30lb 6oz was Gerald Lee.

Gerald receiving his award from Ida Taverna, well done Gerald.

Best Specimen Fish was awarded to Gerald Lee for a 10lb 3oz common..

Gerald receives his award from Jon Taylor, again well done Gerald.

Best Silverfish award went to Jenny Collins for a 3lb 12oz bream.

Jenny receives her award from Janet Morgan, congratulations jenny.

The MOJO ward went to Alan Collins with a bag of 16lb 12oz. The MOJO award is presented to the days top wheelchair angler.

Alan receiving the MOJO trophy from Maureen Smith (left) and Amanda Joseph. Nice one Alan..

The MOJO trophy in all of its spleandour.

And finally, the much coveted and ever popular SPAM award, given to the angler whose best efforts produced the least fish. The lucky recipient was Peter Goodridge with a total wight of 0lb 0oz! Well done peter.

Peter recieves the infamous SPAM award from Maureen Smith and in the background our club secretary Paul ‘Addy’ Addecott tries to look ten years younger with pidgeon chest and drainpipe Wranglers.

It goes without saying that everyone had a fantastic and very enjoyable day and that this will be the first of a very popular and much contested annual event. Please say a thank you to the all of those involved, volunteers, organizers, competitors and staff for making the event a complete success..

Mrs. Maureen Smith-organizer
Mrs. Amanda Joseph-organizer
Ida Taverna-representing the Environment Agency
Janet Morgan-manager of the Community Service Team,Bridgend
Sarah Wilkes-Community Service Team
Arlene Morris-Community Service Team

Rhys Jospeh, Addy, Mal, Colin ‘Mr Treoes’ Farnham, Jon Taylor for volunteering to help out on the day and everyone else who I havn’t mentioned.

All of those who donated to the very respectable array of raffle prizes.

The match sponsors were Keens Tackle and guns - www.keenstackleandguns.co.uk

And Ewenny angling - www.reelfishing.co.uk/index.html

Next years event will be bigger and better and we look forward to another great competition.

Again a thanks to everyone involved.

‘till next time folks….. ‘

Mal. (GAC Roving Reporter)

Mayor opens Treoes disabled facilities.

The Mayor of the Vale of Glamorgan Mrs. Audrey Preston arrived at Treoes Pond Friday, 30th May to officially open the disabled facilities. Mr. Mick Roberts described the history of the pond from the purchase of the field some 17 years ago to what we have today.

Mrs. Preston said she was impressed with the work Glamorgan Anglers Club had done in respect of conservation and facilities for disabled Club members, promising to go back to the Vale Council with a view to utilizing the GAC coaching team and facilities for future projects.

Assistant club secretary Mr. Adrian Corrigan, Mayor Mrs. Audrey Preston and Mr. Preston.

Committee member Miss. Maureen Smith introduced the Mayor to the disabled anglers.

Okuma Tackle was part of the Kit that Svensons Sport gave the Club at below cost price.

10 float rods

10 Feeder Rods

20 Okuma Reels

10 seat boxes

10 landing nets

20 rod rests 10 bait boxes.

Thanks to Gary Evans tackle shop Cardiff for letting us have 10 tackle boxes with terminal tackle at cost price.

Thanks to everybody involved with Treoes pond for all their hard work in making the pond one of the best club fisheries in South East Wales.

I have been a member of the Glamorgan Anglers for about 4 years and fishing for disabled anglers is a subject that I feel quiet passionately about.

Working for BCBC as part of their disability action team I take a group of anglers out once a week. We have tried many local venues such as Porthcawl where work has been done on the pegs but they are not accessible from the road as you have to park too far away, Margam Park where they have a large platform but the lake is locked behind a fence and gate and hidden among the trees and you have to walk about ½ a mile over rough ground to get there and Aberbiaden which is in the middle of nowhere, so I feel that I am qualified to comment on the facilities provided by The Glamorgan Anglers venues.

Having been members for sometime, we have seen the venues change and improve mainly due to the hard work of committee and club members. The concrete platforms at Treoes are ideal for wheelchair users and being close to where we can park the minibus is almost perfect the car park could be a bit flatter but that is only a minor inconvenience. The tree on the large peg could be a bit smaller as casting from a sitting position is quite difficult but again these are minor points. Treoes is our main choice mainly due to its accessibility and the time limit we have. We are regulars to the pond (most Fridays weather permitting) and most members know us and are extremely friendly and helpful, when we arrive the gate is usually open for us and if the disabled pegs are taken they are normally vacated without having to be asked and on the couple of occasions we have asked the person concerned usually moves willingly. We would never ask another disabled angler to move if there was room on the other disabled swims but as we have three wheelchair users most people understand that we can not access the other pegs and we are only there for normally two hours (If I could get my boss to agree to a full day I would but I must be contented with the short time we are given.)

We were lucky enough to be asked to visit Gribbles at the beginning of the season and I must congratulate the people involved with the creation of the excellent pegs at the venue they are ideal for wheelchairs, with the path running along all the disabled pegs. If we had more time and the pond was closer we would definitely visit more often (I am working on more time, but as my boss does not fish she does not understand the need for all day fishing).

I have as yet not had the opportunity to visit Pysgodlyn with the group but hope to in the near future but if the quality of the disabled pegs are as good as the other two venues than I am sure that I will not be disappointed.

Working as I do closely with people with disabilities the benefit that is gained from fishing is immense, for anglers who can regain some of the pleasure they used to get is a great moral boost and the creation of venues that cater for people with disabilities has to continue to grow. The work and effort that has been put into Treoes, Gribbles and Pysgodlyn to enable disabled anglers to access the ponds can only be of benefit to all as we never know what the future holds for all of us, after all people with disabilities have as much right to enjoy the same activities as the rest of us why should their disability prevent them, just for the sake of maybe a ramp, concrete path or solid platform.

So on a final note I would just like to thank the club again for all the hard work it has put in to make the club accessible to people with disabilities and to all the anglers at Treoes for the warm and friendly welcome we receive when we visit the pond

Maureen Smith.

Ivan Shaw and Andrew Parsons enjoying a day's fishing at Treoes Pond.