Visitors to the BASC stand at the Newark Show raised more than £1,000 for the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust.
The money was made from donations for cups of tea made by BASC staff at the event.
A cheque for £1,051 was handed over to representatives of the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust at the BASC Gamekeepers’ Fair at Catton Park in Derbyshire.
The Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust provides financial grants for gamekeepers, stalkers and ghillies and their families in times of hardship, ill health and retirement. Small grants are available for young people making gamekeeping their career and a helpline for Gamekeepers’ Stalkers and Ghillies is available 24 hours a day whether they belong to a gamekeeping organisation or not.
The money will go towards a new fund which is being launched in 2012. The aim of the fund is to provide yearly grants to people to cover general expenses.
Walter Cole, who is a trustee of the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust and a member of BASC’s game shooting and gamekeeping committee, said: "This donation was very important to us because this money has been raised from shooters and gamekeepers and it will go to gamekeepers.
"Any sum of money is important whether it is £10 or £10,000. It will have a large impact. A small amount of money can make a huge difference."
Walter’s wife Julie helped BASC staff to make more then 1,500 cups of tea at the Newark Show.
Helen Benson from the trust said: "The grants will go to people who have depended on their livelihood of gamekeeping or their dependents. They can use the money to meet their most pressing needs. It could go towards groceries, hospital expenses, paying for a new pair of glasses – whatever they need. The only criteria is that their household income is below a certain level and they must have been in gamekeeping for a considerable period of time.
Huw Lloyd, game and gamekeeping officer at BASC, said: "We made more than 1,500 cups of tea over the two days we spent at Newark. It was a great opportunity to meet lots of people as well as raising money for a good cause".
A helpline run by the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust which provides information and support on a wide variety of issues including health, retirement, redundancy, housing and employment issues can be contacted on 01677 470180. The helpline also offers a confidential listening service.
For more information on the trust, visit http://www.gamekeeperswelfaretrust.com/
Pictured Left to right – Julie Cole, Walter Cole and Helen Benson with Huw Lloyd and Stephen Buckley from BASC.
Photo: Stephen Crick.