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The William Gentles Memorial Scholarship was established in 2007 by the United Clyde Angling Protective Association (UCAPA) in conjunction with Glasgow University and the Clyde River Foundation. The Scholarship with a “prize” of £500 is awarded annually by UCAPA, a voluntary non-profit organisation which has existed since 1887.

Bill Gentles was involved with UCAPA from the late 1970s and was a well known ambassador for the Association and especially the Clyde. His ethos was that of those anglers from whom he learned the sport; “look after the river for future generations – it is the past generations who have made it available for you.“

He died suddenly on 26 December 2005 and was the first President or Chairman of the United Clyde Angling Protective Association to die whilst “in office”. He was also the longest serving Chairman of the Limited Company.

In recent years Bill was convinced that the way forward for the Clyde Fishery would be based on scientific evidence and not merely on conjecture. The formation of the Clyde River Foundation and its efforts to find out what is going on in the river system was welcomed by Bill. To mark his commitment to the Association and his love of the Clyde, the Directors of United Clyde Angling Protective Association Limited agreed to establish a Memorial Scholarship in his name.

Initially, Professor Graham Ruxton of Glasgow University’s Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences agreed to become involved in the project and arranged for suitable candidates to apply for specific study projects on the Upper Clyde and tributaries during the summer months.

Dr Willie Yeomans of the Clyde River Foundation provides “hands on” support for the successful candidate who is supervised by him throughout the study period.