00:00For most people who go fishing, they're mainly worried about what's on the end of their line.
00:04But for those from the charity Caster Thought, it's what goes on on the other side of that
00:09rod that really matters.
00:11This is Fish Fest, where coaches, volunteers and Kent Police staff teach struggling young
00:16people how to fish at some of the county's lakes.
00:19Also teaching them important skills they can take from the waters to their daily lives.
00:24We had one young lad who said when he's in school he's got a hundred things going through
00:28his mind but when he comes fishing because where we're using the whip fishing so it's
00:32a whip with a float he's just watching that float and waiting for that float and it's just
00:35the focus on one thing.
00:38Plus they've got the coaches so they're building those positive relationships with trusted adults
00:43as well and they can sometimes talk to us about things that they can't talk to their teachers
00:49about or they can't talk to their parents about and it just seems that while they're
00:53out here all those fears disappear.
00:57I almost don't want to say anything because it's just so quiet out here.
01:01The only sounds you can really hear are just the soft splashes of the fishing rods and people
01:06talking and that's exactly what Fish Fest was intended to do.
01:09According to the organizers it's all about giving these young people a safe controlled environment
01:14where they can share their emotions and also learn some valuable skills not just angling but also
01:20about patience and about the consequences that come from good actions.
01:25It's alright it gets me out more and it gets me like out instead of on Xbox and stuff more
01:33like in the open in nature so it like gives you eyes a break from like the electronics and yeah
01:41just calm and peaceful.
01:45The charity deliver the sessions alongside Kent police who use them as a way to break down
01:50barriers and create a good relationship between the young people and the authorities.
01:54When we come here we're doing obviously we set this up for them they can already see that
01:59we're you know trying to do something different and innovative and it means that they can come
02:04here learn about us see us you know behind the uniform and actually get to know us as people.
02:10In terms of the fishing itself it's all catch and release with whoever gets the most amount of
02:15heavy fish which tends to be carp earning prizes at the end of the day but aside from
02:21an advent calendar full of fishing bait or a comfy chair it's the mentoring between the
02:25adults and the young people that the charity say is the real prize.
02:32There you go I won't take the picture of that one okay yeah Finn McDermid for KMTV in Tunbridge
