COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE

National Shooting Week launches with a bang

National Shooting Week (NSW) runs from 25 May to 2 June this year, offering a taste of the Olympic sports of clay pigeon and target shooting to the public at a special discounted price.

More than 70 shooting grounds around the country have signed up to take part in NSW, which last year saw hundreds of new people try the sport.

Olympic double trap gold medallist Peter Wilson launched NSW (on Friday 17 May) at his local shooting school, Southern Counties Shooting Centre, near Dorchester, Dorset, where he has trained for many years.

Polling shows rural voters feel sidelined

Countryside Alliance Executive Chairman Barney White-Spunner writes: Sixty-four per cent of people living in the countryside do not believe that the Coalition Government’s policies are helping rural Britain, research for the Countryside Alliance has shown. Nearly three quarters of them (73%) think politicians are more interested in the views and values of city dwellers, especially those living in London, rather than people in the countryside.

Concerns over Legal Aid - help reject potential "two-tier legal system"

It has come to the attention of the Countryside Alliance that the Ministry of Justice is currently reviewing the system in which Legal Aid is administered. The Countryside Alliance is concerned that this could have grave implications for those who work in the countryside and are urging members and supporters to help ensure that these proposals are not accepted in their present form to ensure that, should the need arise, those needing legal aid are represented by those with a thorough knowledge of firearms and countryside law.

"An Introduction to Fox Hunting" now available

An Introduction to Fox Hunting is a 16-page document, designed to introduce the younger generation to hunting with hounds - and it is available now. Specifically focused at targeting the secondary school age range, the booklet covers a wide variety of topics including some facts about the fox as a species, a guide to a day’s hunting, some important hunting terms and a word search. 

EC Consultation – Respond to Prevent Restrictions on Shooting

The European Commission has recently launched a public consolation with the intention of tackling gun crime within the EU. The Commission’s main objective with this consultation “on a common approach to reducing the harm caused by criminal use of firearms in the EU” is to obtain the public’s opinion on whether the EU should introduce more restrictive rules on the legal acquisition and possession of civilian firearms.

Smartphone users – get active on rural mobile coverage

The Countryside Alliance is working with RootMetrics to help map mobile phone coverage in rural areas. For many it's an ongoing headache and we are determined to do something about that. Coverage must improve, and you can help us. Read on for more, and if you have a smartphone please download the app and gather data that will feed direct to the coverage map.