Shooting Times & Country – 07 August 2019

Challenging weatherconditionsfailto dampenspirits

as thousandsflockto enjoyHatfieldHouse event

ALAMY / A. WARD

The61stGameFairhasbeenhailed

a success,despiteanextraordinary

rangeofweatherconditionsand

controversyovertheline-up.

Therewastorrentialrain,hailand

temperaturesthatsoaredashigh

as38ºCduringthethreedays.

Thecontroversiallast-minute

decisiontowithdrawinvitations

toanti-shootingcampaigners

ChrisPackhamandDrMarkAvery

didnotdeter114,203people

fromvisitingthefairatHatfield

HouseinHertfordshire.

Theeventfeaturedalmost

1,000exhibitorssellingeverything

fromgunstosunglasses.Roughly

200 exhibitorswereattendingthe

fairforthefirsttime.Totalsalesfor

theweekendarebelieved to have

topped £60million.

Themajorcountryside

organisationswerealso

represented,withBASC,the

CountrysideAlliance,theGWCT

andtheKennelClubamong

thoseattending.

SarahLee,headofpolicyatthe

CountrysideAlliance,said:“Wehad

a greatweekendattheGameFair,

welcomingoldandnewmembers,

friendsandpeoplewhojustwanted

tolearnmoreaboutwhatweare

doingandcampaigningon.”

SusanRought-Whittafrom

Staffordshire,attendingwithher

husbandSteveforthethirdtime,

said:“WewentonSundayandhad

a wonderfulday.Themuddyand

drizzlyconditionscertainlydidn’t

spoiltheevent.Wesaweverything

we wanted to — hounds parading,

a demonstrationonhowtobutcher

a wildboar,gundogdisplays

—aswellasmanagingsome

seriousretailtherapy.”

Butthefairwasn’tallfunand

frivolity.Politicalissuesaffecting

thecountrysideandfieldsports

werediscussedintheCarterJonas

Theatre.Thereweredebatesona

rangeofissuesincludingwhether

a deer-stalkingstylequalification

is a goodideaforgameShots.

TheGameFairmanaging

directorJamesGowersaid:“I have

workedintheeventsandexhibition

industryfor 30 years,buttheGame

Faircontinuestobethehighlight

formepersonally.Thisyearhas

beenanothergreatsuccess.I am

excitedandproudtobepartofthe

wonderfulcollectionofindustries,

businessandcommunitiesthat

weserve,andI lookforwardto

welcomingthemalltoRagleyHall

in Warwickshire nextyear.”

Matt Cross

Heat and rain fail

to faze fair-goers

EVENTS DIARY

1 2 A U G U S T

GROUSESEASON

OPENS

Getreadyforthe

Glorious Twelfth

25-26AUGUST

FENLAND

COUNTRY

FAIR

Stow-cum-QuyPark,

Stow-cum-Quy

fenlandfairs.com

31 AUGUST

DEVONANNUAL

AUCTIONOFPROMISES

InaidoftheGWCT

HonitonShowground,

StockersFarm,Gittisham

gwct.org.uk/events

5 SEPTEMBER

LADIES’BEGINNERS

ANDNOVICECLAY

TARGETSHOOTINGDAY

Henrhydwaterfalls

WaunUchafclay

shootingground,Neath

basc.org.uk/events

7-8SEPTEMBER

SANDRINGHAM

GAMEAND

COUNTRYFAIR

Sandringham

estate,Norfolk

gameandcountryfair.co.uk

7 SEPTEMBER

LADIES’DRIVEN

PARTRIDGEAND

DUCKSHOOT

NaughtonEstate,

Balmerino,Newport-on-Tay

basc.org.uk/events

Morethan114,000peoplevisited

thisyear’sGameFairatHatfield

House, with sales topping £60m

“Themuddyconditionscertainly

didn’t spoil the event for us”

8 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE

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