Sports minister backs National Shooting Week

The minister for sport, Gerry Sutcliffe, has given his support for shooting.

Tuesday, 06 May 2008

The minister for sport, Gerry Sutcliffe, has given his backing to shooting, as national Shooting Week gets underway.

Gerry Sutcliffe MP, the government's minister for sport, gave a ringing endorsement of shooting in all its forms last week when he launched the second annual National Shooting Week at the National Shooting Centre, at Bisley.

The week (which runs until 11 May) has seen positive events across all disciplines being held throughout the country to encourage newcomers to the sport.

"National Shooting Week is an opportunity for the sport to show itself to the wider community in the UK, to show how good it is for everybody to take part," said Mr Sutcliffe, at the launch event, held on Tuesday, 29 April.

In an Olympic year, he focused especially on the success of Great Britain's shooting teams at international level and met a number of Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, including Commonwealth gold medallist Charlotte Kerwood, who won her first gold medal at only 15 years old.

"With the UK teams doing so well, winning medals in so many competitions across the world, shooting is high on the list of sports we want to support," commented Mr Sutcliffe.

To take a newcomer to a National Shooting Week event near you this weekend, visit www.nationalshootingweek.co.uk

The rest of this article appears in 8 May issue of Shooting Times.