The Woodcock Club moves to the NGO

The Woodcock Club is to transfer from Shooting Times to the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO). Originally established in 1949 as the Bols Snippen Club, when it was sponsored Dutch liqueur company Bols, the club had already attracted more than 2,000 members by 1970. It was acquired by Shooting Times in 1983 and has been run by the magazine ever since. It now enters an exciting new chapter under the stewardship of the NGO. Membership carries a single, demanding qualification: a right-and-left at woodcock before two witnesses, with the gun not lowered between shots. Members receive the coveted badge, featuring the woodcock’s four pin feathers.

In recent years the club has become a champion of woodcock conservation, raising thousands of pounds for the GWCT through its regular black-tie dinner and auction at venues including the Savile Club in Mayfair. Past auction lots have ranged from ferreting days to stalking, while guest speakers have included leading figures in game research and sporting art.

The NGO’s mission to support gamekeepers and conserve wild quarry makes it a natural home for this unique institution. For all membership enquiries, contact info@nationalgamekeepers.org.uk.