Reel-axation
MENTAL health is a really important subject and quite rightly deserves to be at the top of everyone’s topics for discussion.
With that in mind, I found myself speaking to a reader regarding the role fishing is playing in a Falkirk mental health scheme.
Gordon was telling me he’d seen people benefitting from being part of the group and how he watched as they started coming out of their shells while enjoying learning about fishing or returning to the sport after a time away.
The scheme is funded by the National Lottery and is run by volunteers.
Gordon said he had recently received a generous donation from the owner of the Angling Centre which has helped continue the important work they provide to the community by aiding people’s recovery and mental wellbeing by getting them involved in fishing.
A similar scheme run by Greater Glasgow and Clydebased nurses was established with the hope that fishing therapy would help bring a change in the patients’ lifestyle and encourage them to carry out activities by themselves surrounded by like-minded friends.
There are several veterans’ schemes like Help for Heroes that also use angling as a form of therapy. Research has shown fishing helps alleviate the symptoms of PTSD, while simpler things like running water help people suffering with chronic tinnitus. The restoring of fraternal bonds, broken when someone leaves the armed forces, can also help people cope with the issues they face back on civvy street.
The BBC2 show Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing is proving a huge hit.
The seed for the programme came from Paul Whitehouse using angling as a vehicle to help his friend (Bob Mortimer) on the road to recovery from depression, which he suffered after heart surgery. Bob said: “I’ve never felt anything like it. There comes a moment when you realise you’ve said nothing for an hour-and-ahalf. I haven’t worried about the past, or future.”
Fishing lets you free yourself from the day-to-day pressure, allowing you to live in the moment. Finding a bit of serenity can be crucial in a world which screams at you 24/7 - whether it’s a flashing screen or working 50 hours plus a week.
On the bank with a pint of maggots and a flask, the only thing you need to think about is making sure you drink from the right one.
Trying to cast a perfect line or sitting watching a float with not a care in the world can give you peace and, to use the latest buzzword, “mindfulness”. See www.fdamh.org.uk/ socialspark for more info