The catch of a lifetime for angling lover, with bank support

30 October 2015

An angling enthusiast from Rotherham will soon fulfil his lifelong ambition, thanks to support from Yorkshire Bank.

Scott Richardson has purchased the town’s Parkgate Angling Centre. His dream from the age of 16 was to own his own angling shop, and now, with funding from Yorkshire Bank, Scott has achieved that goal.

Born into a family of fishing enthusiasts, Scott has had a passion for the pastime since he was a young boy. He worked in a tackle shop for eight years and during this time Scott decided that one day he would like to have a shop of his own.

When the opportunity came to take over Parkgate Angling Centre he could not resist. The shop came up for sale after the previous owners decided to retire and had it not been for Scott, the shop would have closed. With a loan of £45,000 from Yorkshire Bank and £20,000 of his own funding, Scott took over and in doing so he hopes to get today’s youth away from the television and out fishing.

Scott said: “Fishing has been my passion since I could hold a rod and after working in a tackle shop at 16 years old, I knew that one day I had to have a shop of my own. Fishing is a dying art and I hope that somehow I can make it more popular with the younger generations.

“My aim now is to create a friendly atmosphere in the shop and use my expertise to best serve the fishing community. I’ve fished all my life and I feel now the time is right to put something back in to the sport.

“Yorkshire Bank has been extremely helpful since I first contacted them and I’m looking forward to working with them as I look to grow the business.”

Throughout his life Scott has worked in the steel industry and as a builder. He also spent four years as a kitchen and bathroom designer, during which time he gained valuable retail experience. However, after recently turning 40 and the sudden loss of a close friend, Scott realised that now was the time to fulfil his dream.

Angling is one of Britain's most popular participatory sports, yet it is no longer as popular among the younger generations. Scott hopes that soon he will be able to start up a fishing club for youngsters and in doing so inspire them to take up the sport.

Currently the Parkgate Angling Centre mainly caters for match fishing. However, with Scott’s experience and passion for all areas of the sport he hopes that the shop can soon provide the equipment needed for all types of fishing. He is also hopeful that the shop could one day expand to cater for all country games.

This is uncharted territory for Scott having never run his own business before. At hand are his family, who are ready and willing to help. Scott’s wife and father will help with the day to day running of the shop and his two sons already have Saturday jobs lined up.

Alan Miller, relationship manager at Yorkshire Bank added: “We are happy to be supporting Scott in this new chapter of his life. Having demonstrated a real passion, ambition and determination, as well as extensive knowledge of fishing, we at Yorkshire Bank are confident that the business can continue to develop under Scott. We look forward to working with him and supporting him in the years ahead.”

Yorkshire Bank recently launched a series of lending initiatives for UK businesses, designed to encourage growth for new and existing customers. As well as capital-free periods for up to five years, the Bank also introduced high percentage funding for businesses to purchase trading premises.

Yorkshire Bank strengthened its support for UK SMEs by becoming the first to partner with the British Business Bank under its ENABLE Guarantees scheme. Up to £125m of new lending by Yorkshire Bank will help more small businesses achieve their growth ambitions.