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54 Phonebox Magazine | April 2025OLNEY & CLIFTON FISHING ASSOCIATIONFor those with good memories, take yourself back to the fi rst two days of the season. A clubrecord carp and a clubrecord bream, plus several other specimens, were all caught, and it looked as if we were in for a great year. How wrong we were. With very few exceptions, it has been a disappointing season. We lost too many days to the weather, but on the days when we could fish, matches were won with low weights, and even our normal ace in the hole of big perch was down on numbers. However, many experienced anglers feel that fi shing goes in cycles, and a poor year is often followed by a bumper one, so fi ngers crossed for June. On the match front, the fi nal pike and perch were fi shed, and once again, it was Barney who won, and in so doing, he won the overall series as well. All the anglers who took part in the three matches thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and all of them are already planning for next season%u2019s series.LOCAL SPORT ROUNDUPThe last open match of the season saw twenty contestants battle it out, with most struggling to get a decent weight. Rob Hewison had no such problem, though, proving that %u201cchub alley%u201d is not a misnomer by catching a couple in a healthy bag of fi sh to achieve a comfortable victory. Two days later, the last Tuesday match was even harder, with Paul Caton winning with a small netful of bleak.There will be a shorter column over the next couple of months, but it will have important updates, such as the date for the A.G.M. and details of next season%u2019s memberships. Tight lines, Damon.The 41st Harrold Pit Run & Bake-off takes place on Saturday 26th April. This community event has been running for over 40 years, with the main race running around the lakes in the Harrold-Odell Country Park.The busy atmosphere of stalls, attractions, bars, and runners make a great event which is much appreciated as a hugely enjoyable day for villagers and visitors alike. The event opens at 12.30pm, with the main adult race starting at 3pm.It%u2019s not just the one race %u2013 there are short children%u2019s races up to a fully marshalled three-mile race around the village of Harrold and the surrounding countryside. School races are divided by school years: Reception, years 1+2; and years 5+6. Fun runners, fancy-dressers and serious personal best hunters all mix in at the start line in front of the Village Green for the Main Race. The medal ceremony for the School Races will be around 2.30pm and for the Main Race it will be around 4.45 after the drawing of the Great Pit Run Raffl e and the winners of the Bake-Off are announced.Harrold Pit Run: raising money for local causesFor more information, please get in touch at harroldpitrun@gmail.com or visit www.harroldcentre.co.uk/harrold-pit-runScouting is thriving in MK Scouting continues to grow in Milton Keynes. Figures show that for the fourth successive year, there has been an increase in the number of people involved in Scouts locally, which is great news for young people.There have been increases for all the youth sections: Squirrels (ages 4 to 5), Beavers (ages 6 to 8), Cubs (ages 8 to 10), Scouts (ages 10 to 14) and Explorers (14 to 17). There has also been an increase in the number of volunteers involved with Scout Groups in the City. Overall, the number of boys and girls involved rose by over 6%, and the number of adults increased by nearly 3%.Jason Raggett, Lead Volunteer for Milton Keynes Scouts, said %u201cIt%u2019s great to see four years of growth, which means that more young people are learning skills for life.%u201d He added that our amazing volunteers provide incredibly varied activities for young people. Badges the young people can earn range from Air activities to Emergency Aid, Global Issues to Martial Arts. Nights Away to Pioneer and Scientist to Water Activities. Jason detailed that there were nearly 450 on the waiting list to join the sections. He added, %u201cWe are looking for volunteers. If you want to be involved in any of the sections, we would be able to fi nd you a role.%u201d He added, %u201cWe have various roles in the background. These range from being a trustee, looking after the fi nances, IT, fund raising, admin etc. Whatever time you can give, we will be able to fi nd a role for you. If you want to stay in your comfort zone, you can, but If you want to be taken out of your comfort zone, you can, too.Adult volunteer Nigel, said, %u201cVolunteering with Scouts is a great opportunity to help young people learn and develop skills along with having fun and trying out new activities. It%u2019s also a great opportunity to learn and develop new skills yourself, make friends, try new activities and take pride in seeing young people thrive.%u201d For more information about becoming a volunteer, please visit https://www.bucks-scouts.org.uk/join