Cast A Thought CIC

21/03/2026

Spring was well and truly with us today☀️

Blue skies, sunshine on the water, and the fish finally starting to feed 🎣 There’s something special about this time of year… when everything feels a little lighter and a little more hopeful.

Days like today remind us just how powerful nature can be. Taking time to slow down, breathe, and connect with the outdoors has a real impact on mental health and wellbeing .

Through our Catch and Connect programme, part of the Sport Youth Mental Health Initiative, we’re creating safe, supportive spaces for young people to do exactly that — build confidence, form friendships, and find calm by the water.

Because sometimes, the best conversations happen side by side, rod in hand.

20/03/2026

🎣 Fish Fest Workshop #2

Tonight our young people got hands-on once again — learning how to tie loops, testing their knowledge of baits and fish species.

But Fish Fest is about so much more than fishing.
It’s about creating a space where young people and the police can meet as people — not roles — and build trust, understanding, and real connection.

Every knot tied and every question asked helps break down barriers and strengthen community cohesion.

18/03/2026

This Neurodiversity Celebration Week Active Essex have been talking to our young leader Shay about himself and how engaging in fishing helps support his disability

17/03/2026

A couple of weeks ago, following a request from , we had the pleasure of welcoming a journalist from News to one of our Fish and Chat sessions at . They joined us to learn more about social prescribing and how simple, shared moments by the water can support people’s wellbeing.

The article highlights the calm, connection and confidence that grow through angling, as well as the experiences of participants who were referred by their GPs and found friendship, purpose and breathing space through our sessions.

We can’t share the full article due to Bloomberg’s paywall, but you can read it on their website if you’d like to explore the story in full.

13/03/2026

Sorry we’ve been a little quiet on here this week… but that’s because we’ve been busy out on the bank and in the classroom! 🎣📚

This week our team has been delivering Fish & Chat / Fishing for Friendship sessions at Mousehole Lakes and Holm Place Farm, continuing to create safe, welcoming spaces where people can connect, talk and enjoy the wellbeing benefits of fishing.

We also had the pleasure of working with 16 fantastic students from Aylesford School as part of the Reel Education programme with the Angling Trust. It’s always inspiring to see young people build confidence and new skills on the bank. It was also great to see the Character Education Trust featuring an article about the sessions in their recent newsletter.

Alongside this, we’ve started the classroom sessions for FishFest8, beginning our journey with the young people who will take part this year. 🐟

Talking of newsletters… our Spring Newsletter landed in inboxes today! 🌼

Behind the scenes we’ve also been busy preparing for our Easter HAF programme. The response has been incredible:
🎣 Only ONE space left at Puddledock
🎣 Little Easton is now fully booked

We’re really looking forward to working with 133 young people over the programme.

We were also delighted to hear that we’ve been awarded Get Fishing Fund funding, which will allow us to deliver our “Fishing Together” programme at Little Easton — helping even more people experience the benefits of time by the water.

To keep up to date with all our sessions and events visit:
🌐 www.castathought.co.uk

07/03/2026

👏 Community Spirit at its Finest! 🎣
Congratulations to Gary, Catherine and the amazing anglers at Harescombe Fishery for showing what the angling community is all about.

Not only do their anglers regularly support Cast A Thought through their spare change scheme, but today they went one step further… by donating fishing equipment that will help 30 young anglers get out on the bank.

This kind of generosity makes a real difference. Every rod, reel and piece of tackle donated helps remove barriers and gives more young people the chance to enjoy the outdoors, learn new skills and experience the wellbeing benefits that fishing brings.

The angling community really is something special.🎣

😀What a great day……today we helped over 30 juniors with kit that was kindly donated by our lovely anglers, including young Freddie who now has a seat box to fish off 🎣
👏A massive thank you to those that donated, we had lots of happy juniors today thanks to you 😀
🎣 We looking forward to seeing you all on the bank soon 🐟

06/03/2026

Back out on the drains at Holm Place Farm, Sheerness for our sessions funded by through the programme

04/03/2026

Today marks our final school session of the Reel Education Programme at Aylesford School, and we’re ending on a topic that sits right at the heart of everything we do…

🎣The benefits of fishing on mental health.

Over the course of the programme, young people have learned new skills, built confidence, developed patience, and experienced the power of the great outdoors. But today we’re taking time to reflect on why fishing makes such a difference.

Being by the water gives space to breathe.
Fishing teaches resilience and focus.
Time outdoors reduces stress and anxiety.
Shared experiences strengthen friendships.
And that moment when the float dips? Pure connection, calm and achievement all in one. 🎣

Angling isn’t just about catching fish — it’s about creating headspace, building self-belief, and giving young people a healthy lifelong coping tool.

We are so proud of every student who has taken part in Reel Education and looking forward to spending time on the bank with them next week.

03/03/2026

We are absolutely blown away

Our HAF programme bookings only went live at midday today and the response has been incredible! The support from families means the world to us.

Right now we have:

🎣 13 spaces left at Puddledock Farm Fishery
🎣12 spaces left at Little Easton Manor

If you’re planning to book, please don’t wait too long — spaces are filling fast and we’d hate for anyone to miss out on what is set to be our biggest and best programme yet.

We cannot wait to welcome our young people for days packed with fishing, confidence building and plenty of smiles.

Thank you for trusting Cast A Thought with your young people — we are so excited for what’s ahead!

02/03/2026

Our 2026 Fish and Chat season starts tomorrow.

This year, we’re creating more of those moments — places where people feel welcome, listened to, and part of something real. Whether you come for the calm, the company, the fishing, or the cuppa, there’s a seat for you.

📍 Tuesdays: Mousehole Lakes, Nettlestead
📍 Fridays: Holm Place Farm, Sheerness
Self-referrals and paid places available.

Because connection changes lives — and tomorrow, we begin again.