Back in May 2002, not long after the then Sports Minister Richard Caborn appointed me as Labour’s Parliamentary Spokesman for Angling, I spoke up about the need to get angling onto the curriculum in schools to attract young newcomers in sport. Then, as now, I firmly believe that angling can play a massive role diverting young people away from crime, and anti-social behaviour. In fact on my wall in my Westminster office is a yellowing press cutting from Angling Times with the headline ‘Angling to cut street crime’.

Fast forward five and a half years to last November, I finally had the privilege to welcome to the House of Commons the very first students to achieve an angling qualification through their schools. Six students completed the course: Ashley Francis, Joseph Harby, Michael Holmes, Scott Jamson, Ryan Smith, and Georgina Taylor all from the River Leen School in Nottingham. In September 2006, National Federation of Angling chose this school to pilot the Introduction to Angling and the Environment course, developed with the qualification provider The National Open College Network, which leads to an accredited qualification.

All the students were presented with their certificates by Richard’s successor as Sports Minister, Gerry Sutcliffe, who chatted with them and their parents. Paul Baggeley from the NFA also gave a presentation about the course, which covers far more than just fishing - focusing as well on water safety, the countryside code, photosynthesis, the water cycle, and pondlife. Through their work the students also developed their numeracy and literacy skills whilst learning about curriculum subjects including geography and biology. In addition to all this, teachers reported improvements in the patience, concentration and attendance levels of the students on the course.

Following the success of the River Leen School course, I am looking forward to the scheme being rolled out across the country. Currently, since the launch of the programme, the NFA have 21 other angling and the environment courses ongoing, introducing 143 young people to the sport. In my parliamentary role I will do all I can to support the scheme and others like it. For example, the Get Hooked on Fishing scheme, which originated in the North-East, has delivered angling training sessions to over 2208 young people and can demonstrate an 80% reduction in truancy from school.

I have always believed that the best way to protect our sport is ensure that angling is taught in schools, that it appears on mainstream TV and that angling organisations work closely with other groups in the environmental movement. We are slowly getting there and the future signs are encouraging with rod licence sales up as more people take up fishing.     

Finally I would like to congratulate Ashley, Joseph, Michael, Scott, Ryan and Georgina, all their coaches and the National Federation of Anglers on this groundbreaking piece of work. And who knows, in years to come, some of these young people may go on to achieve great things in our sport as a result of being inspired to take up fishing at school.