Fishing group 'devastated' after container fire

The director of an angling club has said he has been left "devastated" after a suspected arson attack destroyed about £6,000 worth of fishing and electrical equipment.

Craig Parkins, 40, from Fishing for Minds, part of Higham Ferrers Riverside Angling Club, in Northamptonshire, said years of work collected inside a storage container had "just gone up in smoke".

Mr Parkins, from nearby Rushden, said the group was started in 2023 to help people with mental health issues, as he suffers from anxiety.

Northamptonshire Police said the blaze, started in the early hours of 13 October, was thought to be deliberate.

Mr Parkins, the director of Fishing for Minds and welfare officer for the angling club, said he had a phone call from a member of the public telling him that the container unit where all their equipment was stored had been "torched".

He believes the fire happened at about 01:00 BST on 13 October.

Both are not-for-profit organisations.

"At the time we thought all the kit had been burnt but we think some of it might have been stolen, because we couldn't see any burnt reels on the ground," he said.

"I walked around the park, and found rods lying in the wood."

He estimated that the total cost of the damage was about £6,000, including about £3,000 worth of fishing materials.

It also includes the cost to repair the container, and to replace other items like seat boxes, chairs, trolleys, a lawn mower, hand tools and fishing tackle.

Mr Parkins said: "I'm upset, angry, it's left me saddened. I was just devastated.

"My mental health has taken a bit of a hit, I have really bad anxiety and now I have insomnia.

"I've lost a few sentimental things but luckily we are insured."

He said the community rallied round quickly and donated items, so the groups can continue sessions with young people, including events planned for half-term.

A fundraising appeal has so far raised about £200.

"I want to say a big thank you to everyone who's helped, it just shows how strong the fishing community is," he added.