Carp-a-diem: 48 Hour angling competition is a great catch!

By day, Dan Hockaday is a Community Learning Disability Nurse, but in his free time, he’s a keen successful carp angler, having been a Semi-finalist in 2023’s British Carp Angling Championship.

Dan presenting Glen Bradley with his award for Section Winner
It’s not just about the next big catch for Dan, “Not only have I observed the benefits of fishing for my own wellbeing, I have personally and professionally seen the benefits of angling for individuals with various forms of disabilities and how valuable this can be for an individual’s health. In my spare time I organise a lot of social events away fishing for large groups. This got me thinking of organising an annual fishing competition over a weekend and raising money for SNAP instead of promoters, like other competitions.”
Dan’s interest and passion for supporting individuals with various disabilities recently made him aware of SNAP and decided that the charity was the perfect fit.
“Having worked in the NHS for 20 years supporting individuals with a learning disability/autism I can see firsthand how much charities such as SNAP are integral to a family’s support. Plus, I understand the pressures and drive to deliver a service for families is reliant on finances. For this event I had 3 main aims: I wanted to raise profile of SNAP and the work they do; raise funds for their services; and use the format of angling to provide a voice and raise awareness, whilst also providing a health benefit for the angler themselves.”
Dan had an overwhelming response from the angling community with the competition places quickly selling out, famous anglers including Luke Stevenson coming along as well as major tackle and angling businesses lining up to support the event.

Stephen Schooley, winner of the Essex County Angling Biggest Common Carp Award.
Over the last weekend in September, the competition saw 35 anglers across the big lake at Suffolk Water Park. The competition was kicked off on Thursday night with a BBQ and social evening and saw the anglers enjoying beautiful weather throughout the weekend. The event attracted many visitors and other anglers who soaked up the amazing atmosphere. On Sunday winners were announced as well as the incredible £4,730.50 the event raised.
SNAP Community Fundraiser, Sami Shulton said, “I am completely blow away by Dan’s incredible hard work and passion as well as the support from the angling community. It was amazing to see everyone come together for friendly competition and to support SNAP. We are hugely grateful to all those who gave their time, prizes, sponsored and participated in the competition. All of this will go on to ensure that families across Essex can continue to rely on SNAP.”

Danny Casselden the 2024 SNAP Champion and winner of the Baitmonkey Biggest Mirror Carp with Dan.
Dan adds, “It has been a privilege and a pleasure to co-ordinate the 2024 SNAP Carp Event. So many people made this event possible, and it was an amazing to see everything come together for such a great weekend. The response from the angling community, friends and colleagues was inspiring. My goal originally was to raise money and awareness for SNAP and this event exceeded my expectations, but I believe has provided a platform for future events. In December 2023 I had an idea which I presented to SNAP and over the following months with the help from both Sara and Sami this idea became a weekend which I’m sure many who attended will not forget. Preparations for the SNAP 2025 Carp Event are already underway, and I can’t wait to see what next year has in store.”
Congratulations to:
- Danny Casselden – 2024 SNAP Champion and Baitmonkey Biggest Mirror Carp
- Stephen Schooley – Essex County Angling Biggest Common Carp Award
- Glen Bradley – Section Winner
Thank you to: Headline sponsor Nash Tackle as well as Suffolk Water Park, Luke Stevenson, Baitmonkey, Essex County Angling, Gardner Tackle, Rod Hutchinson, Korda, Wolf International, Speero, Lead Head, Carp Addiction, ESP, Atomic Tackle, Aqua Lilium Clothing, Taylor’d Sweets, Dean Cooper, Halo Baits, Dean Hillings, Olz Cheyne, Simon Leighton, Stephen Prior, Dean Duffy, Simon and Bonnie Edwards, Chris Burch, Hayley Clapperton, Nick Cunnell , Kirsty Jones and finally Alex Luscombe for providing filming/photography.
The 48 SNAP Charity Carp Event will be back next year, the 26th – 28th September! Contact [email protected] if you are interested in more details.

Carp angler competitors at the 2024 event
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