Wales To Get Its Own Angling Show

WALES TO GET ITS OWN ANGLING SHOW
No longer will anglers in Wales have to travel to England to prepare for the new fishing season. From next year, Wales will have its own spring angling showcase. The first show will be held at the United Counties Showground in Carmarthen over the weekend of 19th and 20th March 2005.
Wales, a Mecca for game, sea and coarse angling, has recently received major investments in its fisheries, notably through EU Objective One funding and the Welsh Assembly Government backed Fishing Wales Project. Those closely involved with these projects see the new Wales Angling Exhibition as an opportunity to highlight the superb fishing opportunities available throughout Wales as well as recognition of the importance of angling tourism to rural economies.
Andy Schofield of Environment Agency Wales, Programme Manager for Fishing Wales, said: ‘I welcome and applaud this initiative. It will help us to publicise what Wales has to offer anglers from within Wales and from all over the world.’
Tackle shops, accommodation providers, fishing instructors and guides as well as celebrities from all angling disciplines will also be at the show and keen to help local and visiting anglers to get the most out of their sport.
The news that Wales is to get its own angling show has been received with great enthusiasm by fishing organisations throughout Wales. Robin Darker, general secretary of the Welsh Federation of Coarse Anglers said: ‘This has been a missing piece of the jigsaw. It has always been a source of irritation to local tackle dealers that Wales has such wonderful fishing but local anglers have had to travel to shows outside Wales to buy their tackle.’
Sea anglers are equally enthusiastic. Hefin Jones, president of the Welsh Federation of Sea Anglers said: ‘This will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase sea angling in Wales. We have been waiting for a long time for somebody to take the initiative and launch a Welsh show.’
In the land of the silver sewin, truly wild brown trout and grayling beyond the dreams of most anglers, game fishing stands, events and demonstrations will be a major attraction. Moc Morgan, doyen of Welsh Game Angling and very much in favour of the show, said: ‘A show of our own will be good for anglers and for the tackle trade, and a chance for coarse, sea and game fishing interests to demonstrate the benefits of our close cooperation at national level.’
Tony Cox, Managing Director of Nelton Exhibitions, the company responsible for the highly successful Ireland Angling Show held in Dublin each year, has established an office in Wales to market and promote the show and handle the sale of stands. Running the office is Sue Parker, who has many years of experience in managing an advertising and marketing business. ‘Experience in Ireland shows that anglers actually prefer to spend their money in their own country where it will support the local economy,’ says Sue. ‘The Dublin show attendance almost doubled each year from its start in 2000 to more than 13,000 in 2004. I have no reason to doubt that with the support of interested parties here we can achieve the same excellent result for Wales.’
For further details contact Sue Parker on 01559 371911 or by emailing [email protected]