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Charity Clay Count

By By James Ashcroft

Wednesday, 26 July 2006

Send the results of your charity shoot into "ST" and watch the figure grow.

In May ST launched a weekly initiative to try to calculate the total amount of cash raised over the next three months by charity clay shoots in the UK. Whether it's £100 or £100,000, we are keen to hear how much you have raised and for which charity. Send in your fundraising facts and figures and, as the weekly total grows, watch the ST charity-meter rise to what is sure to be a huge sum.

In May alone alone, the Royal Berkshire Shooting School (RBSS) hosted events that raised a gross figure of £616,000 for a variety of charities, including The Prince's Trust, the NSPCC and the Child Bereavement Trust. In one event in Yorkshire, the RBSS's sister company "Really Wild" grossed more than £110,000 for The Prince's Trust and the NSPCC. Including other events, the total raised at the two grounds combined in May came to a fantastic £816,000.

Other shooting grounds around the country have also held hugely successful days. An event at Bisley Shooting Ground raised £40,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust, while two events at the Holland & Holland shooting ground last month made £40,000. Two events at the ground this month have raised £80,000 for the furniture trade's benevolent fund and £70,000 for a charity for reconstruction following facial trauma.

The Starlight Children's Foundation held a simulated clay day at Highclere Castle, which grossed £135,000. Neil Swan, chief executive of the charity, which arranges to grant the wishes of terminally ill children, told ST: "The Really Wild Clay Company laid on the very best day's shooting, and we deeply appreciate the support and sponsorship of our guests, who donated an amazing amount of money to enable us to grant wishes for Starlight's seriously ill children. This is the fourth year we've run a shoot and this year was simply unbelievable, with 120 Guns and some very high-flying individuals. We find shooting
provides the perfect stage for a fundraising event."

Despite the huge sums raised at some of the larger shooting grounds, ST is eager to hear from all types and scales of charity clay shoot. Robert Gray, campaigns director for the Countryside Alliance (CA), told ST: "We congratulate Shooting Times on this welcome initiative, which will help the CA's ongoing work to promote shooting. Our 'On The Front Foot' shooting campaign refers to the need to highlight the good work undertaken for charity, so this is the perfect moment for shoots across the country to record their efforts."
Send in your fundraising totals to james_ashcroft@ipcmedia.com and keep an eye on the News section for a running total over the next few weeks. Happy fundraising.