E. J. Churchill’s new Swinton ground
Rob Fenwick of E J Churchill discusses the opening of the firm’s new ground on the Swinton Estate in North Yorkshire with
The immaculate grounds of E J Churchill in West Wycombe are famed for excellent target presentations and world-class events. Rob Fenwick, the managing director, and his team are determined to recreate the Buckinghamshire ground’s success in his home county of North Yorkshire.
“Truthfully,” says Rob of the decision to open E J Churchill at the Swinton Estate, “I got tired of fellow northerners asking me when a ground like West Wycombe would open up north.
“We searched for years to find the perfect location before discovering Warren Gill shooting ground on the Swinton Estate, though that was just the beginning. I could write a book about the struggles we had bringing everything up to standard.
“As soon as we took over the ground in 2019, we began upgrading the site. Then, three months later, the rains began. Soon a stream that ran through the ground turned into a river and washed all of our hard work away. That meant we had to go back to square one, but it gave us the opportunity to redevelop everything. We rebuilt the lodge, constructed flood defences and weatherproofed the entire site.
“Then COVID-19 happened. Though, again, we used the lockdowns as an
opportunity to work on the ground while it was closed.”
All of the hard work has clearly paid off, with the ground now offering an excellent array of English Sporting stands, an English Skeet arena and plenty of simulated targets across the immaculate estate.
“Our Sporting targets are changed on a fortnightly basis and set to suit all levels of ability,” says Rob. “That sounds easy, but it takes a lot of inspiration to keep targets interesting. Jamie Peckham, our group target setter, spends a lot of time with the team making sure they think outside of the box when resetting the targets.”
With roughly 80 traps throwing a huge variety of targets, there’s plenty to enjoy. Every trap is rigged up to the Churchill Claymate system, too, allowing licence holders to make their way around on their own, hassle free. However, if you would like some company, or need to brush up on your skills, then Churchill’s coaching teams will happily oblige. “Ross Elgie and Jack Britnell form the core of Swinton’s coaching team,” says Rob. “Ross is a GB shot and has been teaching at Swinton for years, while Jack came through our own George Digweed Academy. Our group head instructor, Sean Bramley, visits Swinton every month to run his masterclass session, too. We are also very fortunate to have Mark Winser just down the road. Mark is using the ground as his base for teaching and is an EJC ambassador, dear friend and brilliant coach.”
Mark and Sean’s competition experience will be of use to anyone looking to take part in the vast array of events set to take place at the Swinton Estate over the coming months. “We run registered shoots on the second and fourth Thursday of each month, as well as a number of special events. The big one for us this year will be the British Open Sporting Championship in September. I’m delighted to be able to bring a competition like
this to the north of England. It will be a real challenge for the team, but the setting will make it.”
Rob and his team are clearly on a mission to make E. J. Churchill at the Swinton Estate an equal to its southern sister. By bringing top-level competitions, legendary coaches and challenging targets to a beautiful setting they’re on the right path, and there’s more to come. “There are parts of the ground we haven’t opened up yet. I would love to set up some FITASC and Sportrap events, too, and I suppose we will have to expand the clubhouse. But for now, we’re really excited to be able to bring E. J. Churchill to the north of England. We can’t wait to bring The British Open Sporting Championship to Yorkshire and for everyone to come and visit us.”