Gamekeeper praised by wildlife trust for conservation work

Conservation award for Chesterfield gamekeeper

James Allsop, a gamekeeper whose work earned him a top conservation award at the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation’s annual awards last month, has now received an exceptional commendation from an independent wildlife trust.

The keeper of Monk Wood Shoot near Chesterfield has been praised by the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust for his work for great crested newts under the District Level Licensing Scheme, for which he has created 10 dedicated ponds supporting the red-listed species. The Trust described his broader holding as a “fantastic larger mosaic” of woodland, hedgerows, grassland and wildflower meadows.

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Praise from beyond the shooting community

In a letter to Mr Allsop, Frag Last, senior project officer at Wildscapes (the Trust’s landscape project) wrote: “The conservation and shooting sectors are often at loggerheads; but here there is plenty of evidence that things can also be harmonious and work together for the benefit of all.”

It is precisely that kind of independent validation that the NGO says matters. The organisation, which created the Conservation Champions Award to highlight measurable wildlife gains delivered by shoots and estates, said it was “immensely proud” to see Mr Allsop recognised outside the shooting world.

The commendation adds independent weight to a body of work: more than 55,000 trees and shrubs planted, over 30 ponds created, five miles of new hedgerow established. The NGO says the shoot exemplifies what long-term, keeper-led land management can deliver for wildlife.