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Over the weekend of the 22nd – 24th July, the annual Carping4Heroes event took place at Manor Farm Fishery in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. The aim of the event is to raise as much money as possible to the three beneficiaries which are Help for Heroes, Combat Stress and Forces CARP. The weekend consisted of a host of activities, including an entertaining evening on the Friday night, featuring live bands and quizzes, followed by an auction which raised just over £2000 alone. The main feature of the event involved a 24 hour fishing match competed by teams from the RAF, Army, M.P.G.S, Royal Navy & Royal Marines, Ex-military and a civilian team.
For the third year, Hayden was privileged to be part of the RAF Carp Team and got off to a flying start by catching a 19lb Common Carp, despite the tough conditions and temperatures almost hitting 30 degrees. By late afternoon on the Saturday, it was all still to play for and after the traditional Carping4Heroes BBQ, Q&A session and raffle, it was back to fishing until the following morning, where the results would be revealed. He managed to catch another Common Carp of 16lb 12oz early morning, turning out to be his last of the event after losing a fish towards the end. This took the total weight to 35lb 12oz and comfortably guaranteed us as section winners for the second year running and importantly, helping to add points to the scoreboard for the RAF Carp Team.
Once the hooter had sounded to mark the end of the match, it was an anxious wait until the results came in as word had spread that the Royal Navy & Royal Marine team had finished well by having a good spell of action towards the end of the match. This was the case and despite best efforts, the RAF Carp Team handed the trophy over to the Royal Navy & Royal Marine team for this year’s title, finishing in a respectable second place. Most importantly, the event raised a total of £14,429, a remarkable amount which everyone involved in the event is greatly proud of.
Hayden would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who supported the event, as well as to those who kindly contributed towards his fundraising efforts which totalled £577.45, helping Combat Stress to continue their fantastic work in helping veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).