The Angling Trust has this week welcomed the election of the new Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Angling Group, the Conservative MP for Meon Valley in Hampshire and lifelong angler, George Hollingbery.
The APPG on Angling was established in 2005 by the former Reading West Labour MP and Tony Blair’s parliamentary angling spokesman, Martin Salter. He was succeeded on his retirement from the Commons in 2010 by Charles Walker, his friend and the Conservative MP for Broxbourne. The Group brings together MPs and Lords with an interest in angling and fisheries and lobbies ministers on issues of concern to anglers. It also organises visits to various fisheries to find out what is going on at the waters edge.
George Hollingbery is a keen flyfisher with some impressive trout, salmon and seatrout to his name. He has developed a love for saltwater flyfishing and has had several large bonefish and tarpon. He recently spent a day river coarse fishing with the Angling Trust’s Martin Salter and quickly developed a liking for trotting for chub and grayling.
George Hollingbery said:
“I’ve been a passionate angler since I was old enough to hold a fishing rod and have been very fortunate to have experienced some wonderful fishing in both the UK and overseas. There are huge pressures on our fisheries and fish stocks and I believe that it is important that anglers have a serious voice in Parliament. I’m delighted to be following in the footsteps of my friends and fellow anglers Martin Salter and Charles Walker as the new chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Angling.”
Martin Salter added:
“Until Charles Walker arrived in the Commons in 2005 it wasn’t really possible to get a broad based angling group up and running. Now we have some serious game, sea and coarse anglers in the Commons on both sides of the chamber. Thanks to the sterling work done by Charles the APPG on Angling has gone from strength to strength and I’m particularly pleased that a serious political operator like George has agreed to take over the reins. I’ve fished with George in both Hampshire and Scotland and he is not only an extremely competent angler but is as keen as mustard. He is like Charles Walker and myself – angling is in his blood and he cares passionately about our waters and the wildlife they contain.”
Angling Trust Chief Executive Mark Lloyd added:
“We would like to thank Charles Walker for all he has done to raise the profile of angling in the Commons and for building interest in the group amongst MPs. The Angling Trust values its close working relationship with both MPs and ministers and we feel that George Hollingbery is going to be an excellent voice for our sport in the corridors of power.”
