“You should be taking it easy at your age”
Why?
The alarm has probably chirped at 05.30 …possibly 06.00. I hate strident alarms…and getting up is the easiest thing I have ever done.
Embracing another Fishing for Schools day is adventure, challenge and total absorption and has been that way for over 15 years of my life.
So why on earth would I want take things “easy”; There is work to do, new heights to scale…challenges to overcome… not time to waste.
So, sadly for you folk, Fishing for Schools is stuck with me a while or two, yet.
Of course, there are downsides; there are times when things don’t go as well as you would wish… but throughout there is that driving force that is the Fishing for Schools initiative and all the fabulous people that shape who we are – Ben our Financial Director, Catrin our background dynamo whom makes all the pieces fit and purr as a well-oiled machine; Lauren – whose media expertise is breath-taking…. And of course, the coaches – the sublime engine room to everything that we do in schools and other educational areas. Take out just one of these elements – just one – and the whole fabulous programme wobbles.
And that is not even mentioning the glittering array of ambassadors whom support and are evangelical about Fishing for Schools work. We are honoured to have each and every one. Sometimes I feel, not just utterly humbled…but actually, surplus to requirements. I hope not…but it is all the others who truly deserve the plaudits.
We are a team.
Yesterday was a prime example: Alarm pinged and tinged away at 05.30…. four-hour drive to Kent (the 303 is an abomination- the M3 and 25 not much better).
Arrive at Hadlow Colleges Grove Lake …and breathe …unleash Dyson, my Labrador who immediately wins everyone over and is offered a lugubrious mixture of carp bait “treats” – (the flatulence levels on the way home are appalling ) meet the coaches and students from Thamesview School; all the youngsters mask issues that you or I could never begin to comprehend, and yet evolve and immerse and laugh and engage through angling and kindness.
Our wonderful coaches ae pivotal in bringing this to fruition and the partnerships developed with teachers are vital to that successful outcome. That is why we put so much store in the communication with these front row staff – they are vital. But also, key were the visitors yesterday – the team from the Kent Community Foundation who have helped fund this initiative. Again, like you, they are our oxygen; instrumental to our delivery and growth.
All of us – everyone – has an unshakeable belief in what we do and how we set about our business; having you – the supporter – with us on this little adventure of ours makes the whole thing even more vital and valuable… and drives us even harder.
And that is why I love getting up in the morning.
Charles