Meet the Team

Peter Collingsworth (Operations Director) IGFA Representative - UK 

Peter, who is also one of the directors of the Angling Direct Retail Group, is an accomplished all round angler who has been involved in the discovery and development of some previously unexplored waters. One of his greatest passions is blue water fishing, which has taken him too many exotic locations, including Cuba, Kenya, Mexico, Egypt, France, Austria, Christmas Island, Panama, Spain, Florida and Australia. However he is also a very accomplished fly angler and it was in 2007 that he filled one of his childhood dreams of catching an IGFA world record on the fly. It was also in this year that he became a part of the Hardy Greys field testers and now regularly tests all new Hardy Greys products on trips abroad, which are designed for the travelling angler. 

He has for a longtime been very passionate about our sport and especially about the protection of our world fishing for future generations. So it is no surprise that he is also one of the official IGFA representatives for the UK. It is this passion, endless drive and ambition, combined with well-practiced management skills that make him the ideal choice for managing the overall running of all departments. Peter manages the day-to-day marketing, ensuring that Angling Direct Holidays' literature and web site is always a fair and accurate representation of all the elements that make your Holiday of a Lifetime, thus ensuring that our promise of 'The angling adventure of a lifetime' is fulfilled. He also co-ordinates all customer care issues, from collating and analysing customer feedback forms to helping with customer queries. 



Paul Stevens (Travel Consultant / Guide)

Paul is the newest member of the team and joins us from the Angling Direct Retail Group where he worked as a tackle consultant. In his role with us here at Angling Direct Holidays Paul will be acting as travel consultant and he will assisting people with all there questions / enquiries. 

Having been an angler for over 20 years Paul is very knowledgable in all aspects of angling, and can turn his hand to anything. Wheather it's specimen carp, pike, barbel or even cod Paul knows how to catch them! Paul has also been and fished further a field with Norway, Florida, Kenya and the Maldives on his ever growing list of angling destinations!



Chris Collins (Design & Marketing) 

Chris has been working in the Angling Direct group for 10 years now, even though he is only 24, he started as a 'bait boy' and shop assistant when he was 14. Working his way up through the ranks, and spending some time at college Chris is now responsible for our marketing and design work. If you read anything on site, or get sent anything from our mailing list, then Chris will have worked on it.

Chris has done all sorts of fishing through his youth, but now concentrates his time and efforts on sea angling, from both shore and boat. His favourite destination, where he has researched for us twice is Norway.




Melanie Brock (Admin & Accounts) 

Mel is our right arm in the back office, responsible for detailed administration and accounts, from ticketing flights, preparing departure documentation and liaising with suppliers ensuring the smooth running of all our trips.  












Dave Plummer (Travel Consultant / Guide)

Dave has travelled the world; fishing many varied locations and has led groups to India, Florida, Kenya, Canada and France to name a few as well as writing books and producing videos. Dave's experience over the last 15 years as a professional guide makes him the perfect host and just the right man to be by your side when things need sorting out. 








Jack Simpson (Travel Consultant / Guide)

Jack was the founder of Simpson's of Turnford has been an angler since his early boyhood days in County Durham; fishing for perch and pike in local ponds, lakes and trout in the River Wear. Since those early days Jack has fished and caught most of the species of British fresh and saltwater fish. It is great to have Jack onboard; his wealth and experience of saltwater fly-fishing is amazing. Jack is also an excellent fly maker and therefore can provide help and support of all destination types of flies. 






Phil Barker (Travel Consultant / Guide) 

Phil is one of our newest members with the joining of Angling Direct and Simpsons of Turnford. Apart from being available in our Broxbourne new retail store managing the destination travel department, he will be through out the year guiding small selective groups to some fantastic freshwater destinations. As a licensed qualified fly-casting instructor, Phil is able to guide and provide tuition on all his guided trips.







Tim Gaunt-Bakerl (Travel Consultant / Guide)

Tim Gaunt-Baker is a fully qualified instructor with over 40 years fishing experience; 12 of them professionally. He holds the prestigious A.P.G.A.I(Advanced Professional Game Angling Instructor) and the G.A.I.C (Game Anglers Instructors Association) qualifications. If you attend any of the country fairs and shows in the UK you are likely to find him demonstrating fly casting at regular intervals during the year. 

We are really pleased to have Tim on board both as a Guide and Instructor and look forward in running hosted trips with Tim in the future.


Lucy Bowden (Travel Consultant / Guide)

25 year old Lucy Bowden is the UK’s youngest female licensed Level 2 UKCC Game Angling Coach. An angler for over twenty years, Lucy specialises in single handed fly fishing and introducing newcomers, in particular females to the sport. Lucy also enjoys helping anglers brush up on their techniques to achieve their goals. Lucy regularly holds one to one and group coaching sessions and is the Founder & Chairman of the Fishing For Everyone Ladies Fishing Club. 

With Lucy's fantastic work encouraging ladies to take up this fabulous sport of fishing we are planning to put together some hosted trips with Lucy aimed at ladies only. Watch this space...  


Steve Jones (Travel Consultant / Guide) 

It is with great pleasure to welcome Steve Jones onboard to spearhead our continued expansion into the shooting world. Steve has been passionate about all field sports since he was a 5 year old boy when his father first took him fishing for perch and allowing him to accompany him around while rough shooting for pigeon and rabbits. From 12 years old Steve was always “sick” from school every other Wednesday through the game season to go beating on a local pheasant shoot. 

Once old enough to own his own gun Steve moved on and has now shot all species of game in this county and became a working gun on a large private shoot in Buckinghamshire. Further to this he also took up deer stalking and has now hunted extensively with a rifle throughout Africa, America, Europe and UK. He also has acquired sixteen years keepering experience including running corporate days and loading on double gun days. 

With a desire to help others enjoy this sport Steve began coaching clay shooting at Andy Castle’s Sporting Targets. Consequently his is a full member of Association of Professional Shooting Coaches, (A.P.S.I.) plus a freelance coach at West London Shooting Ground. 

For the last 6 years Steve has hosted Dove shooting trips to Argentina, Plains game hunting in Namibia, Boar in France and Turkey, deer stalking, game shooting and coaching in UK. Which makes him the ideal candidate to manage our shooting holiday destinations. 

Steve is also an avid fly fisherman (Level 2 UKCC Game Angling Coach) having fished Australia, Cuba, Florida Keys, Canada and Venezuela.

Steve Mardsen (Travel Consultant / Guide) 

Steve has been shooting for 37 years and in this time made 5 shooting DVD’s with Hunters Video. In the last 10 years Steve has been shooting around 125,000 shells pr year, plus an amazing 80 full driven days. Add to this guiding in Argentina for the last 10 years with a personal best 1 days shooting of 10,335 birds in a single day, with the best group score of 8 guns, shooting a staggering 101,414 birds in only 4.5 days. But there more, Steve has also massed a huge range of Achievements: County Antrim Sporting Champion, 12, 20,28, Bore World records, On Ireland and Northern Ireland Olympic Skeet team, European Skeet Team, A.P.S.I Shooting instructor and shot all round the world Argentina, Cyprus, Kenya, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Canada, Czech-Republic, Slovakia, Chile. 

I think it is fair to say that Steve can shoot and shoot well, that is why we are so pleased he is joining us to offer his services and host some of our shooting trips. As Steve has said in his own words, “My passion is coaching; the best thing one man can do for another is share his dream and make sure it becomes a reality”

The best world wide fishing / shooting holidays with top fishing holiday specialists Angling Direct Holidays.