A PLAQUE has been unveiled in Meonstoke to commemorate a young angler who died aged 22.

Pasco James passed away in his sleep in 2010, and friends and family came together in his honour last month (January).

They unveiled a plaque beside the River Meon, which was always one of his favourite spots.

Following his death, friends and family set up a campaign in his memory in partnership with the Wild Trout Trust.

It raised £2,000, and the Environment Agency matched the funds to start a project in his honour.

The work saw sections of the riverbank shored up in Meonstoke near St Andrew’s Church last autumn.

As a result, the flow of the river has been improved, making it easier for trout to swim upstream to spawn.

The plaque to remember Pasco, from Ramsdean near Petersfield, was unveiled by his girlfriend, Holly Barrow, and his mother, Harriet Poland.

She said: “The River Meon was always special to Pasco. As a young teenager, he slaved away on summer holidays on his own to clear a neglected upper reach between East and West Meon.

“He later worked at Meon Springs Fishery, so he would be delighted with all these improvements at Meonstoke; especially since they will benefit the wild brown trout that he loved so much.”