At 11 a.m. Saturday 28th April 2007 a number of dedicated collectors of ADAM BINDER EDITIONS attended the launch of the timed edition piece entitled “Spawn Free†to help raise funds for TROUT IN THE CLASSROOM UK.
The launch was held at the collectibles emporium “The Clothes Railâ€, Whimsy House, 8 Worcester Road, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire where Professor Bellamy and Adam Binder were joined by Allan Suttie, originator of Trout in the Classroom UK.
Collectors from as far North as Scotland travelled to Bromsgrove to obtain copies of “Spawn Free†signed by both Adam Binder and David Bellamy. Many were ordered by overseas collectors unable to attend the event. The timed edition piece (photo attached) is a cold cast bronze depicting two rising trout.
Throughout the day a there were a series of competitions and the event culminated with an auction of event “special editions†of Adam Binder fish pieces. The amount raised for Trout in the Classroom UK on the day being £2000.
Allan Suttie said “I would like to thank Adam Binder, and Karen Phillips and Anita Mears, from “The Clothes Railâ€, for doing so much for us. Raising two thousand pounds at the launch was a wonderful achievement and they put a lot of effort into it. One collector from the USA paid nearly £200 for a special one off “Spawn Free†piece which was donated as an auction lot by Adam. Not only are these pieces a wonderful ornament but will increase in value over the years to come. I hope that many anglers will take the opportunity to support our work through purchasing a “Spawn Free†and make a sound investment for the future of our sport and themselves. What put the icing on the cake that evening for me was what happened when I was walking through Bromsgrove heading back for the car. I was stopped by a Lady who said â€You’re the Trout man aren’t you, here have my change for your charity†and she thrust into my hand 95p. I’d never met her before and it is obvious that the Trout in the Classroom project has caught the imagination of the public. Once again I thank everyone involved in the launch and those who attended it for their supportâ€.
Adam Binder said “Having seen David Bellamy on the television so often when I was younger it was a thrill to meet him in the flesh. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to know that my work is contributing towards a project that he has a major interest in. To have raised £2000 last week-end was an excellent boost to the funding of Trout in the Classroom UK and will help fund the micro hatcheries some of which I hope will find homes in schools in Bromsgrove and Cirencesterâ€
Karen Phillips, one of the Proprietors of the “Clothes Rail†said “We had a great day, Anita and I spent a number of hours beforehand redesigning the shop on a fishy theme and were delighted to see many of our collectors attend the launch. At one point during the day both David and Alan both disappeared from the shop and were found wandering the banks of the stream at the rear of our shop checking its ecology. Now that the funds are being raised for this project we would like to hear from the local schools to establish whether they would be interested in hosting a micro-hatchery for the Trout in the classroom projectâ€.
Professor David Bellamy, president of Trout in the Classroom UK, said “I would like to thank Adam Binder and the ladies of “The Clothes Rail†for their support for the project and their continuing efforts to assist us in fund raising for the project. It was really good news to have raised £2000 at the “Spawn Free†launch.
The good news for Bromsgrove is the health of the stream running through the town. Just downstream from Karen and Anita’s shop Alan and I both saw shoals of roach and the odd brown trout within a small pool. It wouldn’t surprise me if most people didn’t even know they were there. It is really encouraging to see trout in a town setting as they are a good indicator of water quality. It would be interesting to see what the distribution of the brown trout is throughout the stream especially further into the town where conditions may not be so favourable for themâ€.
“Spawn Free†is available until 28th April 2008, for a 12 month period from “The Clothes Railâ€, Worcester Road, Bromsgrove, and for each piece sold Trout in the Classroom U.K. will receive £10 towards purchasing further micro hatcheries to install into schools.
For further information about Adam Binder Editions please visit the web site at www.adambindereditions.com or www.loopyladies.com the web site of The Clothes Rail, Bromsgrove or telephone 01527 579500.
Further information about Trout in the Classroom UK can be found by visiting our website at www.jetsettroutintheclassroomuk.org
