Angling club being cast out of little hut on pier

LIKE the pier they call their home, Penarth Sea Angling Club is a long-standing pillar of the town’s seaside heritage, founded 92 years ago.

- LOIS MCCARTHY

For almost half of that time, their HQ has been the modest hut found at the end of the Victorian pier.

Now, after nearly half a century, the institution has been served a shock eviction notice, and the tiny structure faces being handed over for commercial use - a controversial move by the Vale of Glamorgan council that's left many in the community angry.

The club, founded in 1933, has used the hut on Penarth Pier as its headquarters for the past 41 years. It serves as a base for organising competitions, handling membership admin, storing essential fishing equipment and even offering advice to curious tourists.

Speaking to the Western Mail, club secretary Robert Galley offered a glimpse into the hut’s rich history - and his own lifelong connection to it.

“I joined the Sea Angling Club when I was 10 years old in 1957,” he said. “My father was pier master and I was actually born in the Pier Master's Lodge, which was just across the road from the pier. He used to take me down to the pier and I'd watch people fishing. One day, someone handed me a rod - and that was it. I joined the club, and I’ve been secretary now for the last 40 years.”