SACN wins conservation award

[Ian Burrett]

Hi All

 

I have just recieved the following email from Leon and thought he may be to modest to post it. Leon is the SACN and this should be seen as a reward for all the hard work and dedication Leon has put into RSA issues.

 

Congratulations Leon, You certainly deserve it. SOS would never have got off the geound without your support

 

Leons email

I had a phone call from John Leballeur, Chairman of the Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society (BASS) on Sunday Night.

 

He was phoning to congratulate us on being awarded this year's Conservation Trophy at the Society's AGM.

 

Previous winners of the prestigous BASS Conservation Trophy have been people and organisations that I've greatly admired for their dedication to the cause of Marine Conservation, and it is their record of dedication and achievment that makes the endownment of this award such a special thing.

 

As their record has set the high standard that inspires others, so I hope that SACN can continue to meet the expectation, and to maintain the value of recieving this award as an inspiration for those who will follow.

 

I know that all of you are happy to join SACN, and to add your efforts to bring about change without any thought of personal thanks, happy to be attempting to make some difference to the future direction of our marine environment and the recreational fishery that it supports.

 

But it's very nice when someone does make a gesture to assure us that our efforts are appreciated.

[John E Ashford]

Well done Leon.

[Guest @Winter@]

Well done Leon.

 

Keep up the good work

[Tom Pinborough]

well done Leon,

 

and you thought you was going to spend your retirement doing a bit of fishing and gardening !

 

cheers

Tom

[RichardB]

Congratulations.

[John S]

Congratulations Leon, well deserved

[Elton]

Great news and congratulations to Leon and all the other people who started SACN and keep it running.

[Leon Roskilly]

All,

 

Many thanks for your kind comments

 

Ian,

 

Although it may sometimes seem that SACN is a one man band, with over 350 members now (and growing daily), and many of those clubs and federations etc allowing us to reach out to 10s of thousands of anglers, there is far too much for one person alone to cope with.

 

From the start, there have been people like Elton, devoting free web space and site maintenance, responding good humourdly to constant requests for a tweak here and there.

 

Then there are the regional co-ordinators like yourself, doing an excellent job in raising the profile of RSA in Scotland, Ireland and Wales, as well as the rest of the Executive Group.

 

But it's the members that really count, whether they join SACN just to swell the numbers (for free!), subsequently ignoring all emails!; respond to appeals for emails and letters to support campaigns; or in taking up and running with local issues on their own.

 

If it wasn't for the level of support we are getting, I'd probably have thrown in the towel long ago, and I don't believe that it's all coincidence that RSA has been listened to seriously over the last several years.

 

When enough people show their concerns and hunger for change by bombarding politicians and managers on the issues that affect sea angling, they have to start listening.

 

If anything, it's my own failure to delegate to the many willing hands in SACN that is probably holding us back! (But that's up to the SACN Executive Group to sort out!!)

 

I'm more than happy to take some of the credit, but it would be unfair on too many people to accept it all.

 

We are a team

[stavey]

If it were'nt for leon! there would be no sacn, congrats and well done amigo

[GowerRay]

If it were'nt for leon! there would be no sacn, congrats and well done amigo

Agree with that. I'd be happy with a tenth of Leon's energy and a hundredth of his commitment. Well deserved award and a testimony to the hard work of all those who made the SACN possible. From little Acorns,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,