Wokingham

Fishermen from Earley made a good haul on Saturday September 9, when the Earley Town Council’s annual fishing competition raised £152 for the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust. Wokingham District Council chairman Cllr Angus Ross attended the competition, and assisted in the presentation of the prizes. Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust is Cllr Ross’s nominated charity during his year in Wokingham office and he was delighted with the money raised.

Wokingham Cllr Ross said: “I would like to congratulate all the winners of the fishing competition for their excellent catches! I would also like to thank those who have worked hard to make the day a success and to raise this valuable contribution to the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust.”

Some 23 fishermen took part in the competition, which was won by Alan Silvey from Earley, for the largest catch by weight. Doug Shelton of Earley came second for his catch and Dave Botting, also from Earley, came third. Dave also won the prize for the largest fish. Mark Lee won the Keith Robinson Memorial Cup for the biggest roach caught on the day.

The competition has been running for several years and each year a charity is nominated by the town council. This year the air ambulance was chosen because the husband of a town council staff member had benefited from the services of the air ambulance last year.

The Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust is a charity funded by the businesses and people of the Thames Valley. The yellow Bolkow 105 helicopter carries life-saving equipment and is crewed by a pilot and two paramedics. The paramedics are provided by the NHS but all other costs are funded by the Trust. The helicopter is operated in daylight hours and is on call seven days a week. To date, the helicopter has answered over 8,000 emergency calls within the Thames Valley area, saving many lives.

Town mayor Cllr David Chopping, who welcomed the chairman to the event, said: “I am delighted that we were able to raise this £152 for the Chairman’s charity.”

The town mayor and Wokingham district council chairman jointly opened some new disabled fishing bays on the day. The bays have been designed to allow physically disabled people to access the lake more easily. The town council received funding of £2,500 from the Environment Agency to install the new bays.

Wokingham District Council