Candidates for BASC council announced

The candidates for election to BASC council this summer have been announced. Twelve members from across the country have put their names forward to fight it out for five contested places on the council and two further candidates have stepped up to take responsibility for uncontested council seats representing Northern Ireland and Wales.

The council has 16 members and meets 8 times a year. BASC’s director of communications, Christopher Graffius, welcomed the high level of interest from members who are keen to get involved with the council and its important work, which includes overseeing the management of the organisation and protecting the future of shooting. Mr Graffius said: “Council provides leadership, develops strategy, sets policy, ensures the necessary resources and monitors delivery. Being a council member involves accepting and exercising responsibility at a high level. Members of council are effectively the stewards of BASC’s funds, the trustees of its assets and play a key role in the ensuring the future of shooting sports in the UK.”

In advance of the elections, Shooting Times will be publishing short interviews with the candidates here on ShootingUK. These will give the candidates a chance to air their views on key issues affecting BASC and its members. Profiles of those standing will also be sent to BASC members in the March/April issue of the members’ magazine, along with voting forms. Members will also be able to make the selections online from Monday 2 March. Voting closes at 10.30am on 10th June. The election results will be announced at the BASC AGM on 13th June 2015.

BASC chairman Alan Jarrett said: “This is an opportunity for BASC members to help shape the future of the organisation and the future of shooting. The work of BASC’s Council is vitally important. BASC is the UK’s largest shooting organisation with a membership of more than 140,000.  In 2015 we will be working with a new Government. All the indications are that we are heading into political uncertainty at the General Election and that means that there has rarely been a more important time to have your say on who should hold the BASC council reins and help steer the organisation through.”

BASC chief executive Richard Ali said: “The over-riding objective of BASC’s Council is to oversee the management of the Association and to promote and protect the future of shooting. Council provides leadership, develops strategy, sets policy, ensures the necessary resources and monitors delivery. Being a Council member involves accepting and exercising responsibility at a high level. Members of Council are effectively the stewards of BASC’s funds, the trustees of its assets and play a key role in the ensuring the future of shooting sports in the UK.”

The 12 candidates standing for the five contested places are as follows:

Alisdair Troup

Nicholas Powell

Prof. Ann M. Mortimer

Simon Kibble

Sarah Turner

Peter Pursglove

Daryn Hufton-Rees

Neil Lawton Chalmers

Sally-Anne Cockerill

Allen Mussel White

John Dryden

Martyn David Jones

In the Northern Irish and Welsh council seats, for which there will be no ballot, the new council members will be Oliver McCullough (Northern Ireland) Jonathan Garton (Wales).