“UNFORTUNATELY FOR THE POACHERS, I’M STILL HERE!”
Meet Roy Bridson, an award-winning Angling Trust Voluntary Bailiff with an inspirational story to tell
FROM encounters with poachers to saving a young lady’s life, the job is rarely dull for award-winning Angling Trust Voluntary Bailiff Roy Bridson.
The banks of the Old Nene look peaceful enough on a sunny day, but Roy tells us “you wouldn’t believe some of the things that happen on this river.”
Mention his recent award, however, and he is dismissively modest. “I’m just doing my bit” is his verdict. Most local anglers would disagree! Even while undergoing cancer treatment, he has been going the extra mile to protect his local fisheries.
QFirst of all, congratulations on your recent Volunteering Excellence Award. How does it feel? Roy Bridson: It’s great, but I’m just playing my part, to be honest. I couldn’t say I deserved it and I certainly didn’t expect it at all.
QI think most of us would disagree. For a start, you’ve been training and patrolling as busily as ever, even with your recent cancer treatment. That must have been tough. RB: Well, I think the Voluntary Bailiff Service has been part of my recovery. You need a goal and something to keep you going. Otherwise you’ll sit back and worry, and that’s the worst thing. It’s great to get out every day on the bank.
I really have my wife, Wendy, to thank. She’s my rock and the reason my condition was detected so early. Unfortunately for the poachers, I’m still here!
QI hear you intervened to save a woman’s life? RB: Yes, I’d seen a helicopter circling and there was an officer there speaking on a mobile. She’d gone into the woods, so I went looking for her. I saw the bench she’d been sitting on covered in blood and the lady was a few yards away, in a bad state. She’d used a hunting pistol, but fortunately the first round misfired and the other rounds hit the first. She was in bits, but I sat and reassured her, and got her talking. She had been in a road accident months before and had developed epilepsy as a result. She’d lost her job and was in constant pain.
When the police arrived they must have thought I was something to do with the gun – they told me to back off and leave her alone! So I explained what had happened.
I’m glad to hear she’s now stable and getting proper support.
QWhat’s the situation like at the moment with illegal fishing? Has it got better or worse? RB: In some ways it has got better, definitely on my local waters. The Nenescape Project and Building Bridges have been a big help.
People know the law now, and the multi-lingual leaflets have been well received, I must say. Non-UK nationals like the interaction in their own languages.
Most of the Polish anglers now play by the rules and are tired of being tarred with the same brush.
Much of the illegal activity is by white Brits. Angling clubs should be encouraging more European lure anglers to help.
There are still some other issues, though. We find a few set lines and even the odd net.
Often, with local fishing clubs, it’s a case of getting bailiffs not just to check tickets, but check for traps under bridges and at key points, whether it’s hidden lines or markers like bottles.
Attempts to catch fish illegally can often be quite amateurish. One of the strangest calls I got was in the middle of the night from a lock keeper, who said he’d seen strange lights and thought something was going on. A group of men had broken into the cricket pavilion and taken the practice nets to try and raid the river!
When I got to the scene, I found a guy, who was presumably their lookout, sitting there with a bottle of whisky, half cut and virtually asleep. When he came round and noticed me, he got the shock of his life and shouted out: “Jesus lads, he’s here!”. The whole group legged it and we were able to retrieve some soggy cricket nets.
QAs for the anglers themselves, you must have heard some great excuses for not having a fishing ticket or licence over the years? RB: Oh, yes. Some of the excuses are out of this world. You couldn’t invent them! I always have a few club tickets to provide visitors, but quite often they reveal that they don’t have any kind of licence.
One time I was on the bank and came across a baby of about 12 months crawling round in a nappy. I’m wondering what the hell it’s doing there when I see a guy fishing a few yards away.
“Aren’t you supposed to be looking after this one?” I ask. “I think he needs changing, and if he falls into the water he’ll drown.”
“Nah,” says the bloke. “He’ll be all right.”
So anyway, I tell the man it’s £5 for a day ticket. “I don’t need a licence,” he says.
I ask him what he means. “Well, I’ve got an under-16 with me,” he says. “My mate told me I don’t need any licence if I’m fishing with a child.” I explain to him he’ll have to stop fishing and clear off, but he’s still not finished. “I can’t go home yet,” he says. “Why ever not?” I ask. “It’s not my baby, it’s my mate’s. I just borrowed it to go fishing!”
QIt sounds like a busy life being a Voluntary Bailiff. Do you still get to do much fishing? RB: Yes, I still love fishing. One of the great things about being a Volunteer Bailiff is that you can do your bit while you’re actually fishing, or just taking a walk by the river.
We need to get this across to other potential volunteers, too – being a VB is not just a chore, it’s enjoyable, and you can do it while you’re actually fishing.