Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Dig deep to win exclusive shoot day
THE West Country’s reputation for offering some of the world’s best game shooting is being tested this week in a raffle with tickets priced at a cool £200 each.
The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust aims to raise £50,000 through the sale of the tickets to continue its research into environmental and rural issues.
And the GWCT believes the prize – a day’s shooting for the raffle winner and seven friends on four of the best shooting estates in Devon – will mean all 250 tickets on sale will be snapped up before the draw on March 15.
The winning ticket will be drawn by Claire Zambuni, one of the UK’s top women exponents of shooting sports, at the Highbullen Hotel in Umberleigh, North Devon.
And the prize, to be taken on November 4 this year, includes bed and breakfast at the hotel together with transport to the shoots, Heanton Satchville, Great Warham, Hall and Portledge, followed by a postshoot dinner at the Great Hall, near Bishop’s Tawton.
The GWCT said: “The Devon High Four Shoot Raffle offers the winner and seven friends to shoot across four breathtaking shoots; Heanton Satchville courtesy of Lord Clinton, Great Warham courtesy of Chris Setter, Hall in Bishop’s Tawton courtesy of Jeremy Boyd and Portledge Estate courtesy of Tony Buckingham.
“The prize also includes being chauffeur-driven throughout the day, a shoot supper at Hall by chef Samuel Brook, Sunday-night accommodation and Monday breakfast at The Highbullen Hotel.”
And David Thurgood, regional organiser for the GWCT in Devon, added: “This really is a top prize for any gun to win. Tickets are selling swiftly, and the deadline is looming, so I’d advise you to buy your ticket before they are all sold out!
“By taking part in the draw, you will also be supporting GWCT’s scientific research programmes for game and wildlife conservation. The Trust aims to ensure a thriving countryside, rich in game and other wildlife and believe its research can go a long way to achieving this.
“You will be helping us to tell a more balanced story about game management by funding new research to measure and publish the positive influence it has on our countryside.”
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust is an independent wildlife conservation charity which has carried out scientific research into Britain’s game and wildlife since the 1930s. Funds raised by the raffle helped to cover the £6.5 million annual cost to the charity of advising farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats.
The GWCT, based in Fordinbridge, Hants, and with a farm at Loddington, Leicestershire, employs 22 postdoctoral scientists and 50 other research staff. It works with Government and private bodies and is also responsible for a number of Government Biodiversity Action Plan species and is lead partner for grey partridge and joint lead for brown hare and black grouse.