Lorraine, leaving a gift in her Will to Let’s Fish!

Here she explains why it’s so important for us all to support this easy way into a life-changing sport.

“I’ve fished for over 45 years now, ever since I met my husband in 1978. It was a beautiful summer and a great way to spend time with him. He took me down to this hidden-away farmers pool full of lily pads and tench, and before I knew it, I was getting bites faster than he could bait up lines. Since then, we’ve always fished our local waterways around Walsall. We also own three Shire horses which we show at canal events, so our family connection with canals is strong.

We’re a very close family, so it was very difficult not to see our grandchildren Daniel and Jess during the COVID lockdowns. But we kept connected by video calling them with bedtime stories about our fishing adventures. So naturally, when we eventually got outside again the kids were keen to have a go themselves. I happened to see an ad for Let’s Fish! on Facebook and took them along.

We met two fantastic coaches there called Pete James and Neil Powell. And the kids absolutely loved it and Daniel caught a three-and-a-half-pound tench. The picture of his face will live me forever. That first fish is your favourite for the rest of your life. And Jess was just as happy with a tiny perch, no bigger than a stickleback.

Now we’ve done so many Let’s Fish! sessions I’ve lost count. We’ve travelled all over the Midlands to join them, and attended both the National Celebrations and the Global Communities celebrations too, with both Jess and Daniel being part of prize winning teams.

It was wonderful to see so many youngsters having a great time, because you tend to think all young people these days are stuck at home on their phone or console. All these games and devices get you thinking all the time. There’s no time for relaxation; you can never switch your brain off. But your brain, like your body, needs time to rest. And fishing has an amazing calming effect. That’s especially important for Daniel. Although we try to keep life as normal for him as possible, he does have high functioning autism. So, he’s incredibly clever and eloquent, but he’s also a ‘Duracell Bunny’; always moving from one thing to the next.

He needs to work harder than most to relax and find that calm. But luckily fishing has given that to him. For me, fishing has always been the thing that stops my mind racing and gets me away from thinking about everyday life. What I love about the sport is that it never discriminates. You can be able or disabled; male or female; be of any shape size, colour or background. All that matters is the luck of the draw when you pick your peg by the water.

Let’s Fish! came along at exactly the right time for us. The fact that it was free really helped because it meant the kids could try it out without us having to spend a fortune on rods, reels, bait and tackle. And because it’s been so good to us, I wanted to give something back. We aren't rich in any way shape or form. But it doesn’t matter whether it’s £10, £100 or a £1,000, we feel we owe it to Let’s Fish! to help. I never expected to think of our Let’s Fish! coaches as friends and family. But we do, so it doesn’t feel like a big deal to help people you are close to.

You can’t go through life taking without giving. When we’ve got a mental health crisis after COVID; when therapy services are overstretched; when there’s cuts in government funding for charities like the Canal & River Trust, then how with clear conscience can you not support something as simple but effective as Let’s Fish? Why do you really need to think about making a gift in your Will?

To anyone thinking about making a gift, I’d say stop thinking and just do it. Once you lose things like Let’s Fish!, they never come back. Its future is in your hands.”