The group is led by Occupational Therapy Assistant Paul O’Keefe with the support of the activity co-ordinators from Columbus and Madison Wards, Cygnet Hospital Bury’s two specialist personality disorder services for men.
Paul said, “Our group motto has become, ‘Our catch below the surface is a much needed distraction from the troubles on land.”
The most recent fishing trip took place in the sunshine at Bradshaw Hall Fisheries, near Bolton, where the group managed a rare barbel catch.
The return of the fishing group is already having a beneficial effect. One of the service users from Columbus Ward said, “My days out fishing with my occupational therapy team has had a miraculous effect on my mental state. I’ve been battling depression and often struggle to concentrate, a few hours of rod in hand is just the ticket.
“You head out on your first trip, maybe you get lucky, maybe you don’t. The second time, you get a feel for the basics. You start to become independent. Before you know it, you’re fishing with confidence and maybe even passing on a tip or two that I have learned along the way to my peers”.
The mental health benefits of fishing are becoming increasingly more recognised. Earlier this year a group of NHS patients become some of the first in the country to be recommended fishing to improve their mental health when Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust partnered with a local fishing organisation to help patients overcome issues such as depression and anxiety.
Paul adds, “We started the group over four years ago and it continues to generate interest from our other services. To spend most of the day with our service users in such a therapeutic environment away from the business of the ward builds on my positive therapeutic relationship I have with them. I often get stopped around the hospital by service users asking me to take them fishing or tell me tales of their recent catch. The smile on their faces makes me proud of what we have achieved.”