Twenty Norwegian fishery owners and managers visited Hardy & Greys Ltd headquarters at Alnwick, Northumberland this month as part of a fact finding study into how the region manages and promotes the Tyne & Tweed fisheries.
As part of their visit the group made a pilgrimage to Hardy & Greys Ltd Willowburn site for a guided tour of the Hardy Museum, led by family member and ex- Sales and Marketing Director, Jim Hardy and International Sales and Events Manager, Andrew Sowerby. The relationship between Hardy and the Namsen River system extends back to the beginning of the 1900’s when Jim Hardy’s grandfather, William Hardy fished in Norway, to try for the legendary Namsen fish.
The tour of the museum was followed by a demonstration of the Hardy Test Rig which is used to design and develop all the rods that Hardy & Greys Ltd has in their extensive portfolio. To complement the leading edge design the group also saw the Hardy split bamboo rod manufacturing process, an area which has seen substantial renewed growth over the past few years.
During their visit the fishery proprietors from the Namsen River, led by Norwegian Tourist Board fishing agent, Harald Oyen, focused on the Tyne and Tweed river systems. The project, Salmon Fishing on the Namsen River 2006+’ has been organized in collaboration with the Norwegian Tourist and Economic Development Authorities.
After the tour Harald Oyen said “The visit to Hardy’s was just like their most famous reel – Perfect!”
