Droitwich Spa Angling Club held a memorial angling competition in September on the recently restored Droitwich Canal to raise money for St Richard’s Hospice.
The competition, which has become an annual event, was held in memory of Ted Gibbs, a long term member of the club and popular local angler. On the day, 45 anglers took part in the competition, which raised £325 to help the local hospice care for patients with life-threatening illnesses and support their families.
Ted Gibbs, who had lived in Droitwich for over 40 years and worked as an inspector at Droitwich firm Deritend Ltd, now called Doncasters Precision Castings, was cared for by St Richard’s Hospice before his death in 2013. His son, Mark Gibbs, and 12 year old granddaughter, Ella Gibbs, were delighted when the Droitwich Angling Club suggested organising a fundraising angling competition on the Droitwich Canal as he was a keen supporter of the restoration of the canal.
The Droitwich Canal, which was re-opened in 2011 after the Droitwich Canal Trust and the local community came together to restore the waterway which had fallen into disuse and disrepair over the previous 70 years.
Mike Sparks, a long-standing member of the club and friend of Ted Gibbs, was the winner of the event on the day having caught 12lbs 15oz of perch and silverfish.
Ted’s son, Mark Gibbs, said: “My daughter Ella, myself and the whole family would like to thank everyone who took part in the competition and raised such a fantastic amount of money to help St Richard’s look after other patients and their families. We’d also like to thank the staff at the Pillar of Salt, who supported us on the day.”