Windmill Angling Club – January 19th 2026
Meeting Report
The first meeting of 2026 was held on Monday 19th January at The Bulls Head. The Chairman, Mark Bowden, welcomed approximately 30 members — the largest turnout for a club meeting in over 30 years.
Meeting Recording: Before the meeting started, Andy Southern asked if there were any members in the room who had any objection to there being an audio recording for the sole purpose of accurate minute-taking. There were no such objections, so the recording began.
Apologies for Absence
Apologies were received from Craig Watson‑Parke, Adam Sebes, Andrew Whittle, Paul Abela, Alan Peacock, Lee Brightmore, Jamie Robinson, Geoff Poole, Martin Syer, Peter Boyce, Steven Forshaw, Nick Metcalfe, and Peter Pantiledes.
Previous Minutes & Matters Arising
The minutes from the January 2025 meeting were accepted as a true record. It was confirmed that the trustee registration issue raised at the 2024 AGM has been fully resolved by the club’s solicitors at no cost to the club.
Proposed by: A. Southern
Seconded by: R Hallworth
Secretary’s Report
Andy Southern reported that a new grant application has been submitted to the Environment Agency for 2026. This year, the EA is focusing on “proactive management of climate impacts.”
The club has applied for funding for a handheld water-quality meter (approx. £500). If successful, this will allow members to take consistent readings to help predict and prevent issues like algae blooms or oxygen crashes. With a limited EA budget of £55,000 for the entire region, success is not guaranteed; however, the club may consider purchasing the equipment independently if the grant is declined.
Treasurer’s Report
The club is currently in its strongest financial position for many years, partly due to the alignment of OAP and standard adult membership fees. This stability allows the club to fund moderate infrastructure projects without being solely reliant on grants.
Current Balances:
Main Account: £4,510.53
General Donations: £232.00
Fish-Stocking Fund: £275.00
The 2025 accounts have been audited and approved by President Ray Boden. Recent expenditure includes the new mink-trap pheromones and a replacement mirror for the top of Hunters Pool Lane.
Match Secretary’s Report
Stuart Drabble thanked the members for a successful 2025 season.
2026 Dates: Match dates are now live on the club website.
Juniors Match: This has been moved to June 21st. Moving it to mid-summer should provide better weather and allow more Juniors to get involved during the school holidays.
Stuart will visit Gawsworth in March to assess peg conditions before confirming a booking.
Working Party Officer’s Report
Bob Hallworth thanked those who assisted in 2025. While attendance was slightly down, significant maintenance and fencing repairs were completed.
Club Welfare Officer’s Report
Craig Watson‑Parke attended the Angling Trust welfare course this year. All safeguarding requirements are up to date and compliant for the next 12 months.
Any Other Business
Clay Relocation: Clay removed during the winter will be used to create new marginal shelves and spawning habitats. An ad-hoc working party will be scheduled soon to finish moving the remaining clay.
Predator Monitoring: Excellent vigilance was shown by members over the Christmas period. Members were also asked for any spare wood or camo-netting to help disguise mink traps.
Archaeology: A local society will be visiting to look at historic stonework at the rear of Hunters Pool. This will not interfere with fishing.
Training: Mark Bowden is attending a free Fisheries Management course in Westhoughton on Feb 28/March 1. One place remains for any interested member.
Fish Stocking 2026/27
Plans are being drawn up for next winter. The proposal is to order 200 Ide (8-10″) and 200 Tench (6-8″) at a cost of approximately £2,200. The Ide, specifically, offer excellent year-round sport. The club will also investigate the possibility of adding F1 Carp. A final decision will be made at the AGM. The Committee sought approval from the members present and got it without any objections.
Update: Environment Agency guidelines are that F1s (hybrid carp) are generally restricted to fully enclosed waters due to escape risks. Hunters Pool is not an enclosed water, so we are not allowed F1s and will not get written consent.
Infrastructure Project: Silt-Trap Redesign
Following advice from Aquatic Solutions, the club will undertake a major project to manage silt in the small pool. This involves:
Filling the existing stream channel (pictured on the left).
Creating a 8 – 10ft deep silt-trap to capture 90% of incoming sediment (pictured on the right). This will,, hopefully, allow us to store more water for as, and when we need it, i.e. during the summer periods. This “sump” will need to be securely fenced off to ensure no animals or members accidentally fall in.
Installing a controlled, netted inlet pipe.
This redesign will widen the car park and remove the need for annual manual dredging. The project (estimated at £1,000–£1,200) was unanimously supported and is planned for early March.
Peak Cluster
A national pipeline project is proposed to pass near Hunters Pool. A 300-metre survey corridor clips our land (as shown in the picture below).
Fish Legal is acting on our behalf and advises cooperation with the surveys, which, at no point indicates any obligation on our part.
The club will receive £1,200 for the initial ecological survey and a further £500 for a second.
This does not commit the club to any future construction.
Rule change to vote on which is then to be ratified at the AGM
The most complicated stage of the evening’s meeting was discussing, understanding and voting on the proposed rule changes – mostly to rule 15. So, we thought we would put it on our full group and let you all read, digest and then vote on how you would like the rule to change, so we can then present it to, and ratify it at, the AGM. As you will see from the posts on the WhatsApp group, there’s a real complexity to this issue and the narrow path we have to tread to get it right – and to please as many members as we can. Everyone will have a slightly different view, but please consider this: we are a family-friendly club of friends and, not all people are in a position to do what they/or others think they should, even though they want to.
As previously mentioned, we absolutely DO NOT want to instigate this rule by sanctioning any member, or, even worse, expelling them from the club. However, the rules must be as fair as they can possibly be, so all members are, respectfully asked to vote on the issue on our WhatsApp group.