Cross Party Angling Group Set UpBRITAIN’S 3.5 MILLION anglers now have a cross-party group in Parliament looking out for the interests of coarse, sea and game anglers.
This week a new All Party Parliamentary Groups on Angling was launched in Westminster and Reading west MP Martin Salter (Lab) was elected Chairman with Baroness Lin Golding (Lab) as Secretary.Newly elected Conservative MPs Charles Walker (Broxbourne) and Mike Penning (Hemel Hempstead) will serve as Vice-Chair and Treasurer. The Labour Peer Lord Williams will be one of the other Vice-Chairs and a vacancy is being held open for the Lib Dems. Martin Salter said: “All we had in Parliament for angling was the Lords and Commons Fly Fishing Club which was hardly representative of anglers as a whole. I very much welcome the fact the coarse, sea and game anglers in both Houses of Parliament will be joining forces to support Britain’s number one participant sport. There are already APPGs on Cycling, Soccer, Table Tennis, Golf, Rugby, Rowing, Hockey, and almost any other sport you can think of, so it was about time we had one for angling.” The main speaker at the first meeting was Paul Knight, Executive Director at the Salmon and Trout Association who gave a presentation on the current issues facing fishing and fisheries. Charles Walker MP, the Vice-Chair of the APPG said: “As a life long coarse and game angler, I am delighted to be involved with this initiative. Fishing is a mass participation sport that has failed to punch its weight for far too long. Angling enthusiasts make a massive contribution to the economy and, even more importantly, they are the true protectors of this country’s precious aquatic environments.” The APPG on Angling will also be organising a number of “fishing days” to promote the sport. They are also planning to set up a website. |
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