"I'd never fished in my life and could not put a maggot on a line, let alone in my mouth like some of them do, but I came 4th in the match. It felt great!"
Maureenis 62 years old and lives in Stoke-on-Trent. She has three sons and seven grandchildren.
I wanted to tell my story because my life changed for the better 10 months ago, when I took up fishing with my husband. The Inside Lives experience has given me the chance to do things I would never have expected to do. The team have been wonderful.
I know now there's more to life than falling out and moaning, but for a long time alls me and my husband used to do was fall out. In 1996 he had an accident so we were spending all our time together stuck in the house. He got so depressed he didn't want to do anything. Because we were together all the time, we started getting on each other's nerves. 'Why don't you go fishing, John?' I said...He used to love fishing. He used to go all the time.
So he went fishing again and slowly, he got back into it and seemed a lot happier. He was a different man when he got back from fishing. But he still got on my nerves! I could strangle him some days! Well we've been married 30 years this year, and it gets like that. 'Where've you been?' I'd say to him, his tea gone cold on the table. He'd be out fishing till all hours. And the arguing started again. 'This has got to change', I thought, 'or our marriage is in danger', so I started going fishing with him and just reading my book. I got to know some of his fishing friends and started helping out at some of the events when somebody said 'why don't you have a go?' I thought, 'why not?' and put my name down for the women's match. I'd never fished in my life and could not put a maggot on a line, let alone in my mouth like some of them do, but I came 4th in the match. It felt great! Now I take the fish off the hook and put them back in the water. I even hold them. I'd go fishing 7 days a week if I could. I have to be dragged away from the water! And now I can honestly say I love being out fishing with my wonderful husband John. | 
