Some 250 young people representing 41 nations fished the Shropshire Union Canal last month for the annual Daiwa Global Communities Fishing Celebration, organised by the Canal & River Trust and its Let’s Fish! scheme.

This legacy event originally emerged from the 2022 United by Birmingham Commonwealth Games, with teams representing the home nations communities pegged alongside young people with ancestral connections from countries all over the world.

Many of the youngsters chosen to participate will have also fished the recent National Celebration of Young People and Fishing before being given the nod by the Let’s Fish! selection panel to represent a specific community in a specific age category on the day.

How to achieve automatic qualification

As this is a Global Communities Celebration, to be eligible to represent an overseas nation community, anglers must have a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent with ancestral connections with the nation they wish to represent.

There were four age categories: Cadet (aged six to 10), Young Junior (aged 11 to 12), Full junior (aged 13 to 15) and Youth (aged 16 to 20).