Gamekeepers avoiding health support over firearms licence fears

Concerns over seeking help

The Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust (GWT) has warned that concerns over having their firearms certificates revoked are stopping gamekeepers from seeking vital health support, even when facing serious mental or physical difficulties. 

Speaking at the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation’s firearms licensing conference on 12 November, GWT chief executive Helen Benson described this as one of the most significant barriers to wellbeing in the sector. “We’ve had many instances where people will not go and seek help because they are worried about it,” she said. “Nearly without exception, we will be asked, ‘Will this affect my licence?’ Because they might lose their job, and if they lose their job, they lose their home and their livelihood. Absolutely everything is gone.”

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Issues raised through GWT support

Ms Benson outlined the range of issues raised through the GWT helpline, which has evolved into a front-line support service for those in the field. “Most of the calls that the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust helpline receives … can be about relationships, housing, it can be retirement, it can be the job, it can be health,” she said. Questions about certificates frequently arise due to their link to employment and housing, she added.

At the event, attendees were offered support cards highlighting five key steps for addressing mental health struggles, alongside leaflets tailored to both employers and headkeepers. 

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Campaigns and concerns around awareness

During her presentation, the GWT chief also promoted the trust’s Check in with a Mate campaign, aimed at breaking down stigma and encouraging early conversations. She also raised concerns about a firearms and mental health awareness leaflet first circulated by Police Scotland and later adopted in England and Wales. Referring to the leaflet, she said, “If you really mean it, it needs to be out there,” noting that many licensing units appeared unaware of it and that hard-copy distribution was lacking.

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Call for better prioritisation

Ms Benson, who previously worked with agricultural support networks, called for greater prioritisation of licensing issues affecting those whose livelihoods depend on their certificate. “Firearms certificates are hot potatoes, particularly in the uplands,” she said. “Keepers will lose their home if they lose their licence. So I make another plea to move the priority up to those professionals who actually depend on it for their living and their futures.”

The conference, held as a platform to bring together police firearms departments and professionals from the gamekeeping and land management sectors, provided a space to address key welfare and licensing concerns affecting rural workers. Other subjects discussed included the digitalisation of the licensing system, training for firearms licensing officers and the value of shooting.