Helping others helps us all

THERE surely can’t be a soul left unmoved by the story of Captain Tom and his mammoth fundraising efforts for the NHS.

His mission to complete 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday this coming Thursday was embraced by well-wishers from all over the world, who helped swell the coffers to over £27 million.

Our own little locked-down community have been generating funds too, as you will see on pages 6/7. We’ve talked to a fishery owner who has canoed around his lakes and a top match angler who auctioned off specially-tied rigs. There’s also been sponsored bivvy-ups in the garden and even a virtual fishing match that attracted the great and the good from the world of competitive fishing. All of these selfless acts have raised thousands to help tackle the pandemic and, while only a tiny part of the nation’s mammoth mobilisation to help our NHS heroes, it will all help in the gradual process of getting back to normal.

Until that day arrives, if you’re looking at other ways to fill your spare time, why not have a go at getting your kit in order? Having laid idle for several months, rods, poles and reels will benefit from a once-over, tackle boxes will need restocking and damaged odds and sods repairing.

We’ve highlighted many of these important maintenance tasks in our Great Tackle Tidy-Up (p38), so take a look, bite the bullet and open the door to that tackle shed. You’ll reap the benefits when we’re back on the bank living the dream!