00:00So we're here at Elodyne Fishing Lakes and we're here with, introduce yourselves
00:04Jane and Edward Upton. So guys tell us about your wonderful fishing lakes here
00:10once upon a time there were cows roaming these fields I do believe. Yeah we used
00:14to milk just over 200 cows in the 90s and then well the jobs as bad as it was
00:21then and it is now so we sold it left with 20 acres of grassland that was no
00:29good we couldn't really farm it because it was too boggy so we decided to build
00:35this in 2000. So when you started building it I understand it was like it
00:40wasn't anything on this scale that the plans it was just going to be a little
00:44fishing pool and it got carried away. Yeah it was just a bit of a hobby it was going to be, no one believed
00:51it would build into this we started with three pools and then now we've got five
00:56and we're building stock pools as well we've got our own fish farm. You've got even
01:01got a pool for for children for juniors where it's a bit shallower and different
01:05things like that yeah? That's it yeah it's stocked with smaller fish yeah so easier
01:10to catch yeah it encourages them encourages them in so yeah. And you have a number of
01:15different clubs that come down as well don't you different I mean we're gonna
01:18make some fishing for heroes lads but uh just tell us about some of those other
01:22clubs that you've had down. Was it the Country? Country Girls UK we had a few
01:26weeks ago a group of ladies from all over the country and their licenses were
01:32funded by the Anglin Trust which are then supported by the Environment Agency
01:36licenses and we have we do a lot with the Masonic Lodge Children's Fishing
01:41Charity disabled and disadvantaged children come here the Battle Back with the
01:47injured soldiers for their psychological recovery and the Fishing for Heroes that
01:52come on a regular basis different ex-service personnel that come out
01:56relaxing mainly. Yeah it's one thing I've kind of learned over the years really I
02:01thought you know fishing with people it was it was if you you know you like to
02:06get in there and catch a fish but actually there's a another side to it a
02:10really therapeutic element to it isn't there with fishing? It's huge the
02:14psychological effects of being out in the countryside and surrounded by wildlife
02:19and the water is very very therapeutic. Yeah it's one of those isn't it where
02:24someone might go well it's not for me I'm not really into catching fish but if
02:29that person likes a lovely calming relaxing setting and a walk actually if
02:34they give it a go maybe you know yeah they'll find something from it. So it's a
02:39bit of a family affair then I mean you're you've got a few England fishing caps I
02:43do believe? Yes I've got two two caps for the bank team. My son Harry he's got four caps for the youth team. He was captain of the youth team as well.
02:55Yeah wow proud moment. And Emily and William both not regularly fish but they
03:01competent fishermen. Yeah yeah. So we've got the lakes here I can see there's a hut in the
03:07distance what happens over there then? Well we've got a full tackle shop yeah anybody
03:12who wants to have a go even we've got tackle they can hire and we do lessons so
03:16and you can buy any tackle that you might want as well anything you need and a
03:20little bit more and a cafe. I thought I thought I got a whiff of bacon as I went
03:24past it in the car. And potatoes. Jack potatoes. Yeah great stuff. You can see the potatoes growing and see the bean dog which a lot of people have enjoyed haven't they?
03:35Jane just tell us about this that it's a fly fishing lake then and you're the
03:40centre for English youth fly fishing? Yes the England youth fly fishing team
03:44are based here. They fish lock style so when they come here it's more of a social so they're fishing the bank
03:54rather than on a boat which is what their team is about. And how many lake fishing
04:00lakes are just fly fishing lakes then like say for in Shropshire is there lots? No.
04:05Yeah it's quite unusual. There's hardly anything in the area now it's quite an
04:10expensive thing to do and to do right I should say so the turnover of fish you
04:15need plenty of trout which is very expensive. And you're used to spawn the fish
04:22yourself and you're going back into that world again aren't you? Yes we've got an
04:26indoor research fish farm and hatchery so hopefully in the not too distant future
04:31we'll be hatching again and bringing all our fish growing in-house. Yep and fly
04:36fishing to those that don't know anything about it so is is it a particular is it
04:40trout then is that what it's all about? Yes we have rainbows, blues, browns,
04:45spartics and tigers here and it's all fly fishing apart from one month of the
04:50year when we do any method and that's to get stocks down because trout only like
04:55cold water they don't feed in warm water and it's protect our stocks as well that
05:00the health of our fish are very important to us.
05:03Some lads from Fishing for Heroes we got Chris and John and Ricky so guys just tell
05:10Fishing for Heroes it's all about ex-servicemen yeah? Yeah we were it's been
05:15operating since about 2007 and we've now built up from a small group down in the
05:20southwest to we've got regions that we cover from the southwest right up to the
05:25northeast I'm a regional coordinator for the charity so I'm always actively
05:29looking for guys and the criteria for the charity is guys who've got service
05:33related injuries whether they're mental or physical and what we do is take them out
05:37for a day's respite and get them together with other guys who are in
05:40similar situations and just have a day where they can switch off do some fishing
05:43initially when guys come to the charity we'll put them on a four-day course to
05:47get them up to speed with the other guys we use places like Eladine because it's
05:51perfect it's kind of you're out in the countryside away from all the hustle and
05:54bustle we can even do residential here as well where we put them up for four days
05:58and and just take them fishing teach them all the basics and then once they've
06:02done the four days we then introduce them to our regional get-togethers as I said
06:05we've got them up and down the country different groups of guys that go out
06:08fishing together like small groups but kind of intimate groups and then we also
06:14run like courses up in Scotland where we take the guys salmon fishing when they've
06:18been a charity for a bit longer yeah we're just fishing for heroes we're
06:21nationwide and when we use Eladine it's just a fantastic venue today it is great
06:26isn't it it's lovely so what is it you lads what is it you're getting out of
06:30fishing then is it kind of that relaxing being by water it's it's mentally you know
06:35we stick in the boxes before I started with fishing for heroes I've been with
06:39them for about three and a half four months now before I started I was self
06:42isolating for nearly four or five years yeah didn't bother with anyone so it's
06:46trying to getting you into reacting with people again yeah yeah how about yourself
06:53boss I spent my whole life in in the army only family that had yeah so it's it's
07:12working wonders free for you lads yeah yeah slowly yeah yeah well great stuff
07:16always something to look forward to and yeah is that we have they're always good
07:19days the lads always have a laugh there's always the classic banter that you get
07:23that you kind of slip back in yeah it's ex-military guys and and the beauty of
07:27fly fishing is you're always doing something there's a lot of type of
07:30fishing's where you can be sat around twiddling your thumbs waiting for it all
07:33to happen yeah but with fly fishing you're always thinking you're always
07:36looking you're always active yeah you're on your feet aren't you constantly you
07:39know you yeah it's just a day to completely switch off yeah switch your brain off and
07:43just concentrate on having a nice day trying to catch a few trout it's the brotherhood too
07:46yeah you can't get it anywhere else only the military yeah and and we've all been
07:54through similar situations we've all had the same sort of struggles and we've all
07:57got similar things that work for us and we use the group to bounce off each other
08:00and we kind of find a way out of it together as a group so yeah and it works
08:05really well fantastic lads thank you for talking to us so Jane tell us about these
08:10lovely little holiday lodges bit of a new venture isn't it yes we've been open 25
08:15years this year so as a progression we've decided to do holiday accommodation which
08:22has been popular for anglers and non-anglers alike but encouraging people
08:27into Shropshire which is what we want enjoying the countryside and the wildlife
08:31we have an abundance of wildlife here yeah it just helps us next you got them
08:34anglers that are traveling you know quite quite some distance really yes yes we've
08:38we've we've got guests staying at the moment that are from Swansea we've had
08:44guests from Bedfordshire and all over the place really which is which is what we
08:48want we want people out enjoying the countryside and coming into Shropshire and
08:53you've got the three different lodges here each with a different theme yes this
08:57one's otter yeah bumble is the middle one which is very very popular yeah and
09:02Kingfisher on the end which was my flagship yeah hot which they're beautiful and it's very relaxing
09:10and you can sit and watch the Kingfisher flying around and also hookups for how many camper vans
09:16and that like we've got three hard standing hookups for camper vans and caravans all with electric
09:22that in the same penguin and some water in these
09:37Rock City schools it's very important and the time we have to use the fuselage
09:41of recycling and family that we have to get诶 of the kind of cattle from invert
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