We must garner more public support

During November, I will be working at a mountain film festival. There will be many voices heard, predominantly about protecting the environment, but I fear few will engage with shooting people such as ourselves.

In fact, some outdoor clothing companies I’ve worked with ask me not to tag them on social media when I speak about my love of fieldsports, as they feel it may alienate their customers.

We need to engage more. We need to talk more. We need to educate more. Opinions are one thing, but science and the real world count. Many a time I have found myself in a room filled with more weekend environmentalists than Richard Negus can shake a billhook at. Many of them are loud, but few know the facts. We all need to respect each other, but you can never reason with anyone who clenches their fists, shouts loudly and courts attention, and there are many.

Who will stand up with me to engage openly with such people and organisations? Nigel Vardy, Derbyshire from “very poor eating”; not as delicious as a young pintail, but perfectly edible nevertheless. Mike Swan, by email