Crowds flock to the Game Fair following pandemic break
The Game Fair celebrated its return with a vibrant weekend of events.
People from far and wide descended on the grounds of Ragley Hall in Warwickshire over the weekend of 23 to 25 July to celebrate the many great things about British country life. The event had been much anticipated following its cancellation last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. In all, just under 120,000 people passed through the gates over the course of the three days and the opening day was the busiest in the fair’s 62-year history.
Visitors were greeted by myriad attractions and demonstrations of rural life. James Gower, the Game Fair’s managing director, hailed the party atmosphere, saying: “I think everyone wanted a release after the past 18 months and the Game Fair has provided that.”
The Country Food Trust, which provides ready game meals for people experiencing food poverty, was the fair’s official charity and it took the opportunity to launch its One4One initiative, whereby Guns pledge to donate £1 for every bird they bag during the season. Tim Woodward, the CFT’s chief executive, was much in demand, least not turning his hand to culinary demonstrations with the trust’s chef Tim Maddams.
Another person demonstrating their prowess was Billy Baughan, who was crowned Champion of Champions. It was the second time the Buckinghamshire hotshot had won the title, following on from his debut success in 2018. Billy dropped only one of 25 targets during the final, in which he beat Julian Morris, Darren Stamford, Jason Allaway and Shaun Stacey to the top spot.
Sporting Gun and its contributors, along with our sister titles, were there in force and our resident gundog expert Nick Ridley braved entering young Percy in the working dog trial. If you want to find out how that went, turn to p64.
We can’t wait to return to Ragley Hall and look forward to seeing you next year.