Festival of Carp Thank you 2025
CARP SOCIETY FESTIVAL 2025
You’ve probably already read many of the on line posts about the weekend at Horseshoe. Here are a few photos I took during the setting up period, (and a few taken from social media) that don’t really do it justice and how busy it was on the day.
I just wanted to offer my personal thanks to many of the unsung heroes who helped make the day such a success. To Brian Skoyles who gave us such a great event to build on in 2024. To the wonderful Carp Society staff Sabrina Widdows, Miles Carter, Karl Goldsmith, Lolly and the family, Des, Andy Wilkinson, all the people on the bar, the two Joes former Plumpton College fishery students were amazing (any time you need a reference guys, put me first on the list). The Horseshoe and other Bailiffs( thanks a million guys)
To the Panel Hassan Khan , Joe Turnbull, Neil Spooner, Steve Briggs Jules and Ian Russel, great entertainment and lots of common sense answers.
To the trade and book sellers for their wonderful support, thank you! Special mention to Shimano and the PAC who having broken down en route soldiered on and got there in the end, to the Specialist groups who supported us, John Carver and Craig Lyons for the casting. To my old mates Pete Peter Curtis, Richard Stangroom, the Crabtree SocIety, Steve Chambers The Crabtree Society Essex, and Greg Fletcher! And the wonderful Jill Grimshaw who did the raffle for us. Thank you all!
And of course Maggie Stritton, my Maggie, who kept me and my blood pressure under control, regularly over the past 4 or 5 months every time I spat my ‘dummy out’ (without her the event would probably never happened) which was a pretty regular occurence in the lead up to this weekend! Well as they say we got there in the end!
If I’ve left anyone out I apologise, it’s not intentional The term ‘Never Again!’ Was a frequently used phrase in our house for sometime in the lead up to the day, it usually contained a word beginning with F and ending in G in the middle just to give it real meaning. But as someone once said: ‘Never say Never!’ Let’s see what 2026 brings!
Derek
