THE VISION
As fly fishers, we can be quite protective of our home water. Whether a wild stream from our youth, a river running through the back garden or a local beat on a much cherished chalkstream — we all have a place we call home, where we hold memories and where we know we belong.
In late summer 2021, we launched The Mayfly Project UK as a registered charity in England and Wales. We had a simple goal, to support children and young people in foster care through the sport of fly fishing. Our projects consist of 5 sessions, each based on the life cycle of the mayfly, where we mentor children one-to-one on all things fly fishing and conservation. At the end of the project each child that participates is given their own gear to keep, allowing them to continue their fly fishing journey.
In addition to fly fishing, our projects offer these young people an opportunity to escape the pressures of the care system, a chance to forget their worries and have fun whilst building self-esteem, learn new skills and develop a meaningful connection with the natural world. Through mentorship in our projects, we are helping to build these young lives. We create positive memories, offer a place to belong - and a notion of home out on the water.
PROJECT LAUNCH WITH SPORTFISH
In our inaugural season, we held our first project session at the Sportfish Game Fishing Centre (SGFC) near Reading. With two crystal clear lakes in beautiful countryside, this was a special place for foster kids to find belonging on the water. Easily accessible by public transportation, it’s an amazing fishery right on their doorsteps. For most children in care, they have never experienced fly fishing and don’t know much about the great outdoors.
Our first project session kicked-off with a team of volunteer mentors ready to share their passion with a young person in care. Each mentor had gone through our application and training process and had committed to showing up for all 5 project sessions. Our mentors are not there to be therapists, caseworkers or even professional fly fishing guides - they are simply there to teach the children fly fishing and life skills, be good role models and provide a safe environment for them to flourish. They say it takes a village to raise a child - at The Mayfly Project UK we say it takes a #FlyFishingFamily!
SUCCESS WITH MENTEE #1
So, let me tell you about our very first mentee, JW. When he arrived at the project he was reserved but curious. He said that he had fished once before but had never heard of fly fishing. From our first project session, he was catching fish. By the end of the project, he was out-fishing most of the mentors! Watching his face light up with joy at the accomplishment of his first catch and then seeing his confidence grow though his fly fishing successes would have been reward enough.
Blessed with good weather and water clarity, JW quickly became obsessed with sight fishing. Sure, the fish were easy to see, but he quickly realised that just because you can see them, doesn’t mean you can catch them! The excitement escalated. There were a few good sized fish circling close to shore in a tight spot under the shelter of a tree. JW fixed his sights on catching one. This would require some pretty technical casting - backhanded, lobs, bow and arrow casts - all well above his ability but he was eager to try. Whilst he wasn’t successful in landing any of those fish and there were many tangles and trees caught - JW found success trying something new, problem solving to pushing through the excitement with a calm focus. We kept repeating the lesson for that day - keep calm and cast again! He found his home on the water that day. He belonged.
HOOKED ON FLY FISHING
We couldn’t have asked for a better first mentee. We have heard from the team at SGFC that JW has returned to the lakes to fish on his own (to keep them engaged Sportfish have also kindly offered mentees free fishing once a month for a year, some free casting tuition and discounts on tackle). Our project offered him a refuge, something solely for him, a place to get lost in the joy of fly fishing and he is hooked. We’re all hooked.
We are proud to partner with Sportfish again this season and look forward to creating more positive memories and introducing the next group of mentees to these home waters. Thank you to the Sportfish team for helping us change the lives of children in care through fly fishing.
Susan Skrupa is the Founder and Executive Director of The Mayfly Project UK.
To find out more about the organisation or how to get involved please visit www.themayflyprojectuk.org
WATCH: Founder and Director of The Mayfly Project UK, Susan Skrupa explains all about the charity's work to support children and young people in foster care.