Hilary Roper-Newman is an artist, author and illustrator, who will be showcasing her game-related artwork and her books at this year’s Game Fair. Trade News caught up with her to find out what got her started and what inspires her. TGF: What got you started in painting / illustrating? HRN: I have painted since a child and won competitions in both junior and senior schools for writing and illustrating books – one on trees and one on wildflowers. I still have a school painting I did of a mandolin. I remember, aged six, painting an underwater ...

Maude and Fox launches the new Houndstooth Tweed Gamekeeper hoodie just in time for The Game Fair 2021. It boasts a fleece lining for warmth, tweed from Scotland plus Teflon milled through it for additional weatherproofing, suede shoulder pads, large front pouch pocket, drawstring hood, brass zip. Wrist straps allow for tightening the cuffs and suede trims prevent wear and the garment has been cut slightly lower at the back to keep draughts out. Perfect in the field and also great for walking in the cold and great for town or country. www.maudeandfox.com ...

Eoghan Cameron is chairman of the UK’s largest shooting organisation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC). He is dedicated to protecting and promoting sustainable shooting for generations to come. Elected as BASC chairman in 2019, he has participated in fieldsports since childhood. His passions are deer stalking, all forms of driven and walked-up game shooting, as well as casting the odd fly. He said: “BASC has enjoyed a longstanding and successful involvement with The Game Fair. I am extremely proud of the excellent working relationship that has developed between us. The coming together of ...

English gunmaker Longthorne has assured customers to key dealers and shooting grounds of a very warm welcome after it commissioned a number of high-quality entrance mats. The mats feature the Longthorne logo and slogan along with an impressive image of one its shotguns and the Union Jack flag and are being sent to selected dealers to enhance their stores even more.

Rutland and Melton MP Alicia Kearns has begun campaigning for the Department for Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to open an office in Melton Mowbray, home of the pork pie, Stilton cheese and with a fieldsports community at its heart. She says the move would bring jobs to a town which can boast longstanding food and agricultural heritage and expertise. As part of the Government’s historic commitment to level up every part of the country, it has pledged to move 22,000 civil servants outside central London by 2030 The East Midlands already suffers from some of ...

His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, who is patron of the Canal & River Trust, visited nearby Coventry Canal as part of the launch of the Coventry – City of Culture 2021 celebrations. Waterways and wellbeing charity, Canal & River Trust, which is supplying the fishing tuition on the lake at Ragley Hall for this year’s Game Fair, welcomed its patron to the canal-side former Daimler factory and now home to the arts, before boarding the working heritage boat Scorpio for a short ride to Coventry Canal Basin. On board were representatives from the local community and ...

The UK’s largest shooting organisation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), is calling on the Government to utilise the resources and experience of recreational deer stalkers within its newly actioned deer management strategy. The deer management strategy was unveiled as part of the England Trees Action Plan in a suite of announcements made by the Environment Secretary, George Eustice MP last week. The Action Plan is offering £500 million in grant funding to meet the government’s target of trebling tree planting rates by 2024 to 30,000 hectares a year. The UK’s deer population is ...

Czech brand Night Pearl is another new addition to The Game Fair’s line up for 2021, bringing a complete range of thermal imaging and night vision devices its stand in Gunmakers Row. In thermal imaging technology, it offers monoculars, adapters and sights while in the night vision segment, it manufactures all of these plus binoculars. It is one of the few companies in the world that offers its customers all available technologies in this field. Since the founding of the Night Pearl brand, emphasis has been placed on quality product production along with superior service and ...

HFV Parkland & Wild (HFV) is a proud Yorkshire-based business. Managing director Nigel Sampson always had a passion for farming and deer and spent many years of hard work to create a professional nationwide distribution network, supplying park and wild deer into retailers, the public, supermarkets and hospitality sectors. The business is also a British Game Alliance-assured stockist of feathered game meat products, demonstrating and adhering to the highest standards in this sector. You can find its products in supermarkets around the UK carrying the BGA stamp of approval, which is a real step forward for ...

The 900SP over and under from Webley & Scott offers affordable luxury, from the sophisticated, delicate scroll engraving across the body of the action which is complemented by the elegant side plates. The strong specification continues with an oil-finished walnut stock, a coin finished silver action, pistol grip stock, proven steel box lock action and a manual safety with auto safe conversion. It is steel shot proofed too. Its decadent, high-class looks belie its affordability and it’s available as a 12 gauge model with 30in barrels or a 20 gauge with 28in barrels plus a hi-viz ...

This week’s key trade player is John Bright, the CEO of shooting and clothing distributor Highland Outdoors. Having started in the gun trade in his native Australia and working with John and David Fuller, John Bright has risen through the industry to become one of the leading voices in shooting sports. He created Highland Outdoors in 2007 and the brand has since grown to incorporate an extensive global portfolio and continues to expand. John explained: “I moved here in 2007 and set up the company from nothing. I spent a lot of time setting it up, seeing customers, ...

Research investigating the influence of temperature and flood events on juvenile Atlantic salmon found that warmer winters and cooler springs could be driving a fall in their numbers. Experts from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) studied the River Frome in Dorset and found numbers of juveniles were lower following unseasonal temperatures, which could be associated with climate change. Their findings highlight the fragility of chalk streams and the salmon populations that inhabit them, to such changes. Atlantic salmon stocks have suffered declines in recent decades, leading researchers to try and understand the threats to both juvenile freshwater and adult marine habitats in order to manage these habitats better. This survey, one of only a few conducted in the ...

Following the establishment of the new Welsh Parliament, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation has written to all members of the Senedd, highlighting the importance of shooting to the Welsh economy, environment and culture. The elections, held a fortnight ago, saw Welsh Labour narrowly miss out on securing a majority, winning 30 of the 60 seats in the Senedd. The Conservatives gained 16 seats becoming the official opposition with Plaid Cymru obtaining 13 and the Liberal Democrats one. Lesley Griffiths, MS for Wrexham, has maintained the rural affairs portfolio, though her responsibilities have been expanded ...

The British Game Alliance is urging everyone to be early adopters of its voluntary 50p levy, which will be added to every bird shot this season so the not-for-profit organisation can build a much-needed self-regulatory shield around game shooting. CEO Liam Stokes explained: “Put simply, game shooting cannot continue without credible self-regulation and it cannot thrive without a market for the birds we shoot. To achieve both, we need widespread implementation of the BGA standards. “The BGA is almost entirely funded through registration fees of its shoots and game farms and through the efforts of guns, ...

English gunmaker Longthorne has just proofed its first set of Damascus barrels for steel shot at The London Proof House. The news will delight a customer who has waited for quite some time for these. As an added bonus, at the same time they had the honour of meeting the new London Proof Master David Miles, and the team. In addition, a number of UK dealers have now taken delivery of Longthorne demonstration models, with more to come in the following weeks. It means customers now can view and try the latest models at various shops and ...

As well as exhibiting, leading country clothing brand Joules will be hosting a just-for-fun dog agility course at The Game Fair this year, which is being held at Ragley Hall from 23 to 25 July. The agility course is designed to be a non-competitive and inclusive activity that will be open to furry friends of all shapes and sizes that may not have been eligible for other competitions. Dogs can whizz through a series of obstacles that are bound to leave tails wagging as they spring over fences, leap through hoops and slalom their way to ...

London antique dealer and vintage luggage specialist Bentleys London is back at The Game Fair for the first time in more than 20 years. Owner Tim Bent tells us what it means to return, the importance of the LAPADA pavilion and why this summer will be so exciting. TGF: With over 30 years’ experience, what have been your career highlights? Tim Bent: Opening my first shop on Walton Street in Chelsea in 1996 was a big moment. Taking a Bentleys pop-up shop to Tokyo and Shanghai promoting vintage luggage and British craftsmanship with Alfred Dunhill ...

A high-quality, well-thought-out design boasting a string of features for any dog trainer. The vest is made from a mesh and ripstop fabric and boasts a zipped two-way front opening plus hidden deep chest pockets, two inside pockets with zip closures, double front cartridge/utility pockets and a large rear waterproof game/carrying pocket with an adjuster. Each pocket, including the one at the rear, also includes eyelets for drainage. It also incorporates an elasticated back area so the vest will give and take with you, for example, if you decide to put a jumper or coat under ...

This week’s key industry figure is Marc Newton, the managing director of London gunmaker John Rigby & Co, which has a history stretching back to the 18th century. Since his appointment in 2013, Marc has guided Rigby’s evolution into a firm fit for the 21st century while keeping its history alive. As well as overseeing the production of finely crafted, fit-for-purpose firearms, Marc always has an eye to shoring up the future of the gun trade as a whole, supporting young gunmaking talent through apprenticeships and by creating a well-balanced team where the enthusiasm of youth ...

With all eyes on the summer, game specialist Wild and Game has launched an expanded BBQ offering with two variety packs and recipes. The company’s barbeque range includes garlic and herb pheasant breasts, chilli and lemon partridge breasts, venison or wild boar steaks, game burgers and sausages plus mallard breasts. The packs are the latest addition to the firm’s growing range of game-based food, which runs from pies and sausage rolls to ready meals, pates and read-to-cook meats. Other recent additions include game charcuterie and gin-based pâtés. Steven Frampton, the company’s co-founder, said: “Wild and ...