Entries are now open for the gamekeepers’ classes at Crufts 2023, which are hosted by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation. The classes are open to gamekeepers, owners of working gundogs, gundog teams and young handlers and will be held on Gundog Day, Thursday March 9th at the NEC in Birmingham. Postal entries close on January 9th and you can enter online until midnight on January 23rd. The gamekeepers’ classes are deeply rooted in the history of Crufts and BASC is proud to continue this strong tradition. The top individual dogs will go head-to-head in the ...

Instead of Black Friday flash sales next week, Schöffel Country has teamed up with Kids Country – an initiative local to the brand providing inspiring countryside experiences to children – to give back to the community. Schöffel Country will be donating £5 of each sale to Kids Country to help it continue the work it is carrying out, inspiring future generations about our countryside, farming and the food that comes from it. Kids Country aligns with the beliefs and values of Schöffel Country, Schöffel is driven by the countryside and sees itself as one its guardians of its future. Kids Country is ...

The Clay Pigeon Shooting Association Awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of individuals, clubs, and other organisations that help to promote and develop clay shooting in England. Nominations close at midday on Monday, November 28th. You can nominate fellow CPSA members who you feel should be awarded with the recognition that they deserve and will be decided not just by numbers but by the strength of statements and acknowledgements made by those nominating. There are eight different awards which will be presented on the night – Saturday, March 11th 2023 at The Hilton St Georges Park in ...

Aim to Sustain – a partnership of major shooting organisations – has written to the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to outline issues facing the sector and its readiness to work with Government to manage the challenges facing the countryside. The letter to the Rt Hon Therese Coffey MP explains that Aim to Sustain partner organisations employ leading experts with unrivalled knowledge and experience of the benefits that can be delivered in wider biodiversity and habitat recovery. It has been signed by the heads of major shooting groups including Ian Bell ...

In the wake of another Avian Flu outbreak, a national housing order will be introduced across England on Monday, meaning flocks of poultry and captive birds must be kept inside. The measures legally require all bird keepers to keep their birds indoors and to follow stringent biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks from the disease, regardless of type or size. The order will extend the mandatory housing measures already in force in the hot spot area of Suffolk, Norfolk and parts of Essex to the whole of England following an increase in the national risk ...

The Canal & River Trust, the charity which protects and preserves 2,000 miles of inland waterways in England and Wales and delivers fishing tuition at The Game Fair, has unveiled a headline report detailing the value of its waterways. At the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Waterways at the Houses of Parliament, CRT chief executive Richard Parry said the 250-year-old network provides a £1.5 billion annual economic value from water-based tourism and jobs plus a social value of £4.6 billion a year, which includes £1.1 billion cost saving to the NHS from active use of the waterways ...

For a treat this Halloween, the Hellfire Caves beside the West Wycombe estate, close to E J Churchill’s Shooting Ground, are open for some ghoulish fun. The team at the caves might have a few tricks up their sleeve too and are promising everything from spooky stories to scary feasts not to mention the odd surprise. Combined with a morning’s shooting at E J Churchill, it’s a great way to celebrate Halloween for all the family. You can book Halloween event tickets for the Hellfire Caves HERE

With British Game Week on the horizon next month, British Game Assurance (BGA) has released details of three events where you can get involved and join in the celebrations. To mark the week – running from November 7th to 13th, there will be two ‘Celebration of Game’ dinners and a special finale at Holland & Holland Shooting Ground. The first of will be held in London at Westminster Kingsway College on November 10th with the second in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, at Finzean Farmshop the following evening before BGA stockist Holland & Holland’s ‘Glorious Game’ event on November ...

Customers will shortly be getting their heads on the INEOS Grenadier as the very first vehicle from the newest name in 4x4s has rolled off the production line. The workforce at INEOS’ giant manufacturing facility in Hambach, France, gathered to mark the important moment. Mark Tennant, INEOS Automotive’s commercial director, said: “We’ve come a long way since the project kicked off in 2017 and this is a landmark moment for INEOS Automotive as a vehicle manufacturer.” Visitors to this summer’s Game Fair were among the first to see prototypes of the Grenadier 4x4 in the inspiring ...

British brand Whale of a Time has supported World Mental Health Day once more, amid its continued their relationship with leading mental health charity, MIND. Every year the eco-friendly clothing company designs and create a new product in support of MIND and to raise awareness around mental health – this year, it has unveiled its unisex Arnoux Charity Quarter Zip Sweatshirt. Featuring contrasting shades of blue, the colour synonymous with mental health due to its ability to radiate a feeling of calmness, the quarter zip is manufactured in the UK from premium organic cotton and includes a fleece ...

Animal rights activists have called on the NHS to remove game meat from its menus, just months after British Game Assurance revealed it had been successfully introduced. In a national newspaper story, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) compared venison on a hospital menu to giving out cigarettes because eating saturated fat is, the organisations claims, as bad as smoking. BGA chief executive Liam Stokes said: “This is mad, and not only because venison contains around 75 per cent less saturated fat than beef. Venison is such a lean, healthy meat. It tastes amazing ...

Ahead of this year’s National Hedgerow Week (running all this week), more than 60 hedgelayers from around the UK and Ireland converged on East Hampshire for a Guinness World Record attempt for the longest stretch of hedge laid in 12 hours. Dr Francis Buner, senior scientist at the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) was called upon for scientific advice and to act as ‘specialist witness’ for the world record attempt. The event at the Rotherfield Park Estate resulted in a remarkable 555.4 metres of hedges laid in approximately seven and a half hours - a ...

The Country Food Trust, The Game Fair’s official charity, has launched a Winter Appeal with the goal of raising £200,000 to help feed families in crisis. The Trust says that, with the on-going squeeze in household budgets due to rising food and energy prices, more people than ever are turning to local food banks for help. And it says that, with foodbanks now outnumbering McDonalds outlets, demand has doubled yet donations are reportedly down 70 per cent. So the Trust wants to deliver hundreds of thousands of meals and to those in need. It says nutritional, ...

The Canal and River Trust’s Let’s Fish! initiative encouraged thousands of new and lapsed anglers to try fishing through a programme of targeted events, including The Game Fair at Ragley Hall. Indeed, during the 2021 season, the CRT scheme saw a total of 8,589 participants at 452 Let’s Fish! Events, according to the organisation’s annual report, which has just been released. Using venues like the lake at Ragley Hall along with canals, rivers and lakes throughout the UK, the initiative offers ‘catch and release’ freshwater fishing while revealing the wellbeing benefits of being by the waterways. ...

A unique collaboration between a countryside charity, a financial business, the media and The Game Fair has resulted in three iconic films on planting woodlands for the future, which tens of thousands of people have already seen. The Queen’s Green Canopy, a huge tree-planting initiative surrounding Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, was the catalyst for the partnership, formed between the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity Woodland Trust, banking and wealth management group Investec and The Field, the hugely popular countryside and fieldsports publication. The target of three 70-acre forests could equate to around 135,000 trees in total, ...

The Country Food Trust, this year’s official charity partner for The Game Fair at Ragley Hall, at the end of July, raised a total of £7,500 during the event. The team reported a fantastic weekend at the show, meeting old and new faces and would like to extend their thanks to The Game Fair, Ragley Hall, HRH Princess Anne and the Trust’s patrons Phil Spencer, Mike Robinson and Adam Henson. With special thanks to all the organisations who generously donated a share of their income over the weekend on point of purchase, including Rosemullion Distillery, Jack ...

Switch the wellies for deck shoes and see what’s in store Taking place from 16-25 September, the Southampton International Boat Show, is the biggest marine showcase in the UK and one of Europe’s largest on-water events. Whether you’re a complete novice dipping your toes in for the first time or a seasoned pro looking for the latest kit or even a new boat, with hundreds of exhibitors, over 650 craft on display, a purpose-built marina, a whole host of attractions, a brand-new VIP experience and the best of all things marine, the show really has something ...

The Country Food Trust – the official charity of The Game Fair for the past two years – has appointed Harriett Priest as an ambassador and events manager. Harriett grew up in Wiltshire, where game shooting and attending equestrian events were a big part of her life. They are still sports which she holds close to her heart however, since moving to London two years ago, they haven’t been too readily available. Harriett has been in the event sector for over 15 years, much of her experience has been with large scale, outdoor live events, which ...

The game meat campaign EatWild has moved to another level following a successful stint at The Game Fair at Ragley Hall, Warwickshire, unveiling its own online shop to allow people to try game in their own homes. Hundreds of people from all walks of life swarmed the British Game Assurance (BGA) stand at the event at the end of July, where the EatWild team were cooking up free samples, handing out recipe books and getting the public excited to back British game. EatWild is the BGA’s public-facing campaign for game, where all references to shooting are ...