Rural Enterprise Scheme - The Foundation's 2nd Project in England
In August 2006 the Foundation's work extended into the English side of the border: A project to increase angling tourism to the river Wye and its tributaries in Herefordshire was approved by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). With falling numbers of anglers (and, as a consequence, investment) the infrastructure of many middle Wye fisheries had fallen into disrepair - eroded croys, lost paths and tracks, derelict huts, overgrown banks etc were all too common sights.
Part-funded through the (DEFRA) Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES), the Foundation facilitated work to restore neglected infrastructure and to promote angling on this section of the Wye. Increased visitor numbers increased revenues for fishery owners, encouraging re-investment into the river. Also more business was brought to local accommodation providers and other angling related businesses. 42 fishery infrastructure sites on the Herefordshire Wye were improved within the project, with priority given to those fisheries that offered better tourism opportunities (i.e. those not held for private use or limited syndicate), either through the Passport scheme or their own marketing scheme. In addition, 6km of river habitat improvement was completed, chiefly in the Lugg and Arrow catchment.
RES Project Performance Against Output Targets
Output |
Target |
Achieved |
|---|---|---|
| Outputs to be achieved prior to payment of final grant |
||
Fish Habitat Restoration |
5 ha* |
6.8 ha |
Capital Improvements to fishery |
40* |
43 |
New Beats to Passport Scheme |
35* |
35 |
Angler Days Sold in England |
1,000* |
1,436 |
% of fishing beats let from |
15 |
26.9 |
Accommodation Providers assisted |
30 |
30 |
FTE jobs created |
3 |
3 |
| Outputs to be achieved after final claim |
||
FTE jobs created |
A further 4 |
5.62 |
| Indicators to be achieved after final claim |
||
Angler Days Sold in England |
A further 1,000 |
4,164** |
% of fishing beats let from |
15 |
42% |
* New target following project extension
** Angler days sold in England from August 2008 to July 2010, just before HARP started, our second infrastructure project in Herefordshire.
The fishing of the middle Wye has been an important addition to the 'Wye & Usk Passport' scheme. For salmon anglers, being at the right part of the river at the right time is crucial and often difficult to achieve. Salmon fishing is now available over 100 miles of the Wye under the Passport scheme. The RES project also tapped into the huge coarse fishing potential of the middle river to provide fishery owners and local accommodation providers with much-needed 'year round' revenue.
Other achievements included the innovative use of modern technology. For the first time, anglers can now view river heights and clarity via the Foundation's website, giving them a much clearer idea on the kind of conditions that await them. The project funded 4 cameras: two on the Wye; one on the Monnow and one on the Lugg and Arrow system. For more details, please see the River Info section. In addition, the project funded the development of our first Online Booking System, enabling anglers to quickly secure their fishing with a few clicks of a mouse.
The RES Project provided a much needed boost for the fisheries of Herefordshire, which had declined to their lowest economic level in recent history. Anglers from across the UK and abroad are now aware of what the Herefordshire Wye and tributaries has to offer. From this very encouraging start, generated in a mere 8 months from a very modest budget, we can confidently predict ongoing growth with significant future economic benefits to the County.