Anglers nationwide were hooked by the North East’s first ever ‘Fishing with the Stars’ competition recently.
The event, which took place at Sweethope Lough, was organised by Hardy & Greys Ltd of Alnwick and Game Fishing Supplies of Morpeth.
Anglers were set the task of catching the longest length of fish in total during the day, with all fish safely returned to the water.
Bill Riddicks, of Ayrshire landed first prize for 8 fish measuring 3580mm and received a whopping £1,000 worth of Hardy & Greys Ltd vouchers.
Gary Haggart, of Fife came second in the competition and received £700 and Marc Moss, of Aberdeenshire came in third and bagged a sizeable prize of £300.
Among the celebrities taking part in the event were former French rugby captain, Raphael Ibanez, keen angler, Sean Wilson formerly Martin Platt from Coronation Street; Dean Andrews, from Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, Jamie Noon, Richard Hill and Jason Oakes of the Newcastle Falcons.
Dean Andrews said;
“It was a fantastic day and I was surrounded by lovely people in beautiful surroundings. It was all in aid of a very worthy cause and you can book my place for next year now because I’ll be back!”
Jamie Noon said;“It was a great day and everyone had a brilliant time, even those who came away without any fish. Most importantly however, we managed to raise a large amount of money for the kids who need it most. I’m looking forward to next year’s event already!”
By far, the biggest catch of the day was netted by Grace House North East Children’s Hospice Appeal where nearly £6,000 was raised on the day and by an on-line auction courtesy of www.flyforums.co.uk – part of the Fish and Fly group.
Participants were asked to raise as much as possible in donations and prizes were awarded to the top three fundraisers with £2,000 of Game Fishing Supplies vouchers being shared between them.
Karen Larkin, Regional Fundraiser for Grace House said;
“To be given the opportunity to meet some celebrities, enjoy a full day’s fishing, including food and raise a significant amount of money in the process surely ticks every box. I am extremely grateful to everyone who took part and supported the event. What a venue and what a day – fantastic. We have started making plans for next year already so watch this space!”
Richard Sanderson, Managing Director of Hardy & Greys Ltd said;
“Hardy are proud to be supporting a local charity such as Grace House North East. Together we raised a fantastic amount of money for the charity and I would like to take the opportunity to thank both the celebrities for taking part in the event and the boat anglers – it is a very worthy cause.”
Ian Woods, Managing Director of Game Fishing Supplies said;
“The day was even more of a success than we could ever have imagined.
“Although the weather wasn’t great, nobody’s spirits were dampened and all the anglers, celebrities and organisers had a fantastic day. I have been an angler for over 31 years and have never had a day as memorable as this. The real icing on the cake was the substantial amount that was raised for Grace House North East and I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the day. Roll on next year’s event!”
