“When the going gets tough, the tough get going” is a song co-written and originally recorded by English singer Billy Ocean in 1985.
 
And if it’s not already the signature tune for Gloucester Angling Club then it may well be in years to come.
 
That’s because the club that have lived through two world wars – when unsurprisingly club numbers dwindled – have hit on more hard times in the past couple of years through no fault of their own.
 
The much-publicised pollution of the River Leadon back in July 2016 effectively forced them to move from their ‘home’, and it has certainly been a battle at times to keep the club afloat.
 
That they have managed to do so – and indeed are looking ahead to a brighter future – is largely down to a small but very hard-working committee, who were determined to see a club that were formed way back in 1914 continue and prosper.
 
Richard Mander doubles up as the club’s secretary and treasurer, and is one those selfless souls who is working night and day to breathe new life into the club.
 
“Yes, it has been tough and the club did go through a rocky stage,” admitted Mander. “It’s difficult to sell memberships when you can’t guarantee fish.
 
“All the fish were killed off when the river was polluted and we’re now in a stage of recovery.”
 
That recovery involves restocking the river with trout and coarse fish. 
 
“We’ve been working with the Environment Agency and other bodies to restore the river to its former glories,” said Mander.
 
As you can imagine, that remains a work in progress, but far from standing still, the club got out and about and now have another place that they can also call ‘home’.
 
“A local farmer in Bulley got in touch with us and said he was looking for a club to run a pond,” said Mander.
 
“We said ‘great’ but what we hadn’t realised was that he hadn’t even dug a hole!”
 
That was then. Now, some 18 months later, they have a hole in the land which is full of water and covers about half an acre.
 
“The Environment Agency have stocked it with crucian carp and we’re fishing from there from Saturday 16th June when we’ll have a grand opening,” added Mander. 
 
“There are 200 crucians in the pond and not a lot else.”
 
Those numbers will increase, however.
 
“The crucian carp is an avid breeder,” said Mander. “We’re also planning to stock the pond with tench, which is a complementary fish, in November.
 
“We’ll have a naturally sustained population which is self-sufficient.”
 
So where exactly is this pond?
 
“It’s in Taskers Field in Bulley, near Churcham,” explained Mander. “It’s called Taskers Pond and you look across to the beautiful May Hill.”
 
Just as beautiful as May Hill as far as Mander is concerned are the crucian carp who went into the pond last July.
 
“They are quite small and a fish of a lifetime weighs only two or three pounds,” Mander said. “But they are characterful and beautiful to look at.”
 
Their relatively small size also makes it easier for children to fish, as does fishing by the side of a pond rather than on the bank of the river.
 
Getting more youngsters involved in the sport – and the club in particular – is very important of course.
 
And while the attraction of Taskers Pond is obvious, Mander admits that the River Leadon will always have a special place in his heart.
 
“It takes you into hidden parts of Gloucestershire,” he said. “It’s a tributary of the River Severn, joining the Severn at Over and with its source near Much Marcle it flows south through Dymock, Redmarley, Dudbridge and Upleadon.
 
“It’s only a small stream, it’s no more than 12ft wide and four feet deep and was always full of wild brown trout.”
 
The club’s 30 or so members are fishing the river again – the trout season started on 18th March – although it will take “five to 10 years” to reach its former levels in terms of fishing stock, said Mander.
 
Mander, though, is happy just to be fishing on the river again.
 
“I love river fishing,” he said. “I love the flowing stream, I love the sound. Rivers are more vibrant and have a wider variety of species.”
 
That the club are fishing there at all after all the problems is down to people like Mander, chairman Trevor Hyde, vice-chairman Malcolm Chalmers and committee men John Hill, Steve Martindale and Ken Price.
 
And it’s not just the fishing that they care about.
 
“We do a lot of work to improve the habitat,” added Mander, “that’s very important to us.”
 
Mander has been fishing for 50 of his 60 years and clearly knows what he’s talking about.
 
While he enjoys all fishing, river fishing is his favourite ever since his grandfather Bill Leonard – who he refers to as ‘Grandad Bill’ – took him out on a boat on the River Severn by the weir at Tewkesbury.
 
“I was 10 years old,” laughed Mander, “and I was scared stiff. I thought I was at the foot of Niagara Falls!
 
“It must have been good though because I became hooked.”
 
With people like Mander around, Gloucester Angling Club surely have a very bright future.

For more details about Taskers Pond, visit www.gloucesteranglingclub.co.uk