[sam harris]

Can I just correct something that was mentioned in Ryanlees article regarding the DEFRA meeting held in Newbiggin on Tuesday night. He says that the only publicity given was on the NESA site.
I was asked by Dave Morton if I could help by putting the information regarding the meeting (this was the first I had heard of it) in my column in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle, this I did, three times. I also gave the details out on in the B.B.C. Radio Newcastle angling programme, again three times.
I went on air on B.B.C. Radio Tees and spoke about it, where I also said that the anglers between the Tyne and Tees had been ignored, and considering that there are more anglers between these two rivers than on either side of them this was a disgrace. I spoke to the Hartlepool Mail who printed an article mentioning the points I have just made. I spoke to Tyne Tees T.V. and B.B.C. T.V.who typical, promised to cover the meeting but, as usual didn't.
I spoke to committee mambers of the Seaham S. A.C. who weren't aware of the meeting at Newbiggin. I suggested to them that if a meeting could be arranged South of the Tyne, their new club H.Q. would be the ideal venue which they agreed would be possible.
I telephoned Nicola Clarke at DEFRA to suggest this, her reply was that she was "getting many calls from all over the country regarding meetings, and that there weren't enough staff to cover all of the places being suggested to her". I know that the committee of the Seaham S.A.C. also myself are still pushing DEFRA for a meeting at their H.Q.
One thing that wasn't mentioned at the meeting is that the licence will only apply to English and Welsh anglers as Northern Ireland and Scotland have their own parliaments and so far neither have made any attempt to "jump on the bandwaggon".
Tight Lines.