ILKLEY MOOR WINS THE 2015 PURDEY GOLD AWARD FOR GAME AND CONSERVATION

This year's winner of the prestigious Purdey Gold Award is Ilkley Moor. On Wednesday 25th November this top prize for Game and Conservation was presented by the chairman of the judging panel, The Duke of Wellington, to Edward Bromet, chairman of the Bingley, Burley and Ilkley Moors Partnership for his leadership in the restoration of red grouse to the moor, and to head keeper Simon Nelson, and beat keepers Michael Smith and James Gott.

The prime purpose of the Purdey Awards is to give reward and recognition to those who are involved in the world of shoot management and conservation, and whose efforts have achieved outstanding results in improving game bird habitats and the biodiversity of their land. Red grouse are said to have almost disappeared from Ilkley moor when the Partnership took over the management of its 1,500 acres, having secured the sporting rights lease in 2008. No shooting was possible on the moor for the first two years, but with the control of predatory foxes and crows, and a reduction in the numbers of sheep that grazed the heather, the moor's population of red grouse was gradually restored. The award also recognises the Partnership's work in meeting with groups representing walkers, runners, mountain bikers and dog walkers, to ensure everyone could enjoy the moor.

James Horne, chairman of James Purdey & Sons, said: "Well over two million people live in the towns and cities around Ilkley Moor, so restoring wild red grouse numbers, while balancing the diverse needs of all the different groups who enjoy the landscape, is a tremendous achievement and an example of how these things should be done across the country."

Richard Purdey, who has organized the Awards since 1999 said: "We were delighted by the rich variety of this year's Awards entries, from which came an outstanding crop of winners. These may differ enormously in size and types of shoot, but all succeeded in demonstrating how their clear vision and exemplary conservation work brought about big improvements in the quality of their shoots and the biodiversity of their land, benefiting not just their game birds but many other species of plant, bird and wild life."

Since 1999, over 250 shoots from every corner of the UK have entered the Purdey Awards, but only two grouse moors have previously won the Gold Award; Howden Moor in the Peak District in 2005, and Weardale Estate in Co Durham in 2012. It is therefore a real achievement for Ilkley Moor to have won this year's Gold Award, and the Bingley, Burley and Ilkley Moors Partnership is congratulated on winning what is recognised as the UK's most outstanding game and conservation project.

Adrian Blackmore, Director of Shooting, Countryside Alliance