DEARNE youngsters became hooked when South Yorkshire Police organised a series of angling competitions over the summer holidays.
Police Community Support Officers took up to 30 youngsters from the region to Barnburgh Lakes one day a week to teach them the joys of the nation's favourite sport.
The aim was to provide a safe environment for the youngsters aged 11 to 19 years o
ld to encourage them to fish in authorised places only and to appreciate the dangers of open water.
Mark and Sue Anderson, the owners of the lakes provided prizes after each event for the winners.
A Police Community Support Officer Supervisor said: "This event went really well. Thanks to the volunteers, who came to offer their support to many of the youngsters who had never fished before. The day was a great success and many of the youngsters will be returning for the next match."
On August 11 24 youngsters turned out on the day with a winning catch of 22lb from Lewis Jeeves. The runner up was Joe Thirlwell with a total catch of 12.7lb. Aiden Gittins was third with a catch of 7lb. Keely Enfield came in fourth with 6.3lb.
The 18th saw the weather change and only 20 youngsters attended for the penultimate event. The overall winnner with a catch of 15.25lb was Joe Thirlwell, followed by Lewis Jeeves (12lb) and in third place with a catch of 4lb was Jack Richardson.
To decide the overall winners ofth experienced and total novices from the past four outings, an added attraction will be the top four taking on four of the volunteers who have helped throughout the past month. This will be held on September 1.
The events were funded by Objective 1 from Doncaster Council and the safer neighbourhood teams provided staff helped by several local volunteers.
The full article contains 323 words and appears in South Yorkshire Times newspaper.
