Wildfowling club granted £35,000 loan

The Wildlife Habitat Trust (WHT) has granted Clevedon Wildfowling Association a £35,000 loan to buy a plot of land, which the club says will support wildfowling “for generations to come”.

The association has been shooting over the 13.80-acre patch of grazing and a pond in Kingston Seymour, North Somerset, for more than half a century.

Shooting for more than 50 years

Club treasurer Jon-Paul Humberstone said: “We are extremely grateful to the WHT for the continued support of our land and sporting rights acquisition programme.

“The club has shot over this land for in excess of 50 years and by purchasing it we have further secured the future of wildfowling in the local area for generations to come.

“This most recent purchase is in very close proximity to a previous purchase which was also facilitated by a WHT loan.

“We are great advocates of wildfowling clubs purchasing land or sporting rights at every opportunity. Being a stakeholder not only secures your sport but also enables you to engage further with neighbouring landowners and government bodies that also have an interest in the local area.”

Success results in more success

The WHT was set up in 1986 by members of BASC with the aim of raising and distributing funds to help acquire land for conservation and shooting.

Tim Russell, WHT secretary and director of conservation at BASC, said: “I am delighted the club has been successful with this land purchase. The club has an excellent record of buying land and improving the habitat for wildlife.

“I have visited one of their previous purchases and seen a wide range of plants and animals that would not exist without their careful stewardship. It is always good to see success result in more success and I am pleased the WHT has once again helped this club.”

Pick up the next issue of Shooting Times on Wednesday, 1 March for our exclusive look at the state of British wildfowling in 2017.