As the Glorious Twelfth gets the 2010 grouse shooting season off to what has reportedly been an excellent start despite the harsh winter, the Moorland Association has published some figures to show the massive contribution land managers make to our upland landscapes. Everyone who loves country sports loves a good statistic: shooting contributes £1.6bn to the economy; 4 million people go angling every year; 57% of people believe the Hunting Act is not working. Now, to celebrate its 25th anniversary, the Moorland Association has carried out a survey that shows how much time and money is put into shooting and conservation in upland areas, and there are plenty of positive statistics to enjoy.
With the new season in prospect, please support the Countryside Alliance's shooting campaign by buying your new 2010/11 shooting badge. The cartridge-shaped badges change colour each season, and this year have been produced in turquoise blue. Shooting supporters can buy a £100 season badge or a £10 supporter badge, safe in the knowledge that funds raised will be ploughed straight back into promoting and defending your sport. Click here to buy your badge. Visit www.shooting-alliance.org.uk to find out about our campaign and our excellent shooting insurance offers.
Members of the shooting community have until 27th August to make submissions to a new inquiry into firearms control, set up by the Home Affairs Select Committee in the wake of the Cumbria shootings. We already have serious concerns that this inquiry has been set up before the results of the Cumbrian Police investigation have been announced, but we cannot simply ignore it. The Countryside Alliance will be making a full and robust response.
With the Election behind us we are all now looking ahead and planning our next moves on the campaigning front. Central to that plan of action for the Countryside Alliance is our campaign for shooting. Our work focuses on promotion, defence - and your participation. To that end, in the coming months you will see a variety of new advertisements featuring well known shooting supporters. These supporters, including comedian Alexander Armstrong, television presenter Phil Spencer and England Rugby League star Keiron Cunningham, are the stars of the first batch of adverts, focusing on the need to take action as our lawful shooting rights are eroded. You can view the Phil Spencer advertisement below.
Local people have known about the existence of a pair of eagle owls on the RSPB's upland reserve at Geltsdale since they first bred there in 2009, but the presence of these incredible birds with their 6 foot wingspan is something that the RSPB had been doing its best to keep under tight wraps. That is until questions started being asked in the media, and the RSPB finally had to admit to the pair, which this year fledged two young.
I’ve been known to miss a World Cup goal or two when answering the call of nature but I wasn’t quite prepared for what my friend had to say when I returned to our restaurant table. A busy gun trade man from the Midlands, he had checked his Blackberry to find breaking news from Cumbria. We all know what happened next. Lunch was suddenly over. He paid the bill; I had a train to catch.
As the Glorious Twelfth gets the 2010 grouse shooting season off to what has reportedly been an excellent start despite the harsh winter, the Moorland Association has published some figures to show the massive contribution land managers make to our upland landscapes. Everyone who loves country sports loves a good statistic: shooting contributes £1.6bn to the economy; 4 million people go angling every year; 57% of people believe the Hunting Act is not working. Now, to celebrate its 25th anniversary, the Moorland Association has carried out a survey that shows how much time and money is put into shooting and conservation in upland areas, and there are plenty of positive statistics to enjoy. 
With the new season in prospect, please support the Countryside Alliance's shooting campaign by buying your new 2010/11 shooting badge. The cartridge-shaped badges change colour each season, and this year have been produced in turquoise blue. Shooting supporters can buy a £100 season badge or a £10 supporter badge, safe in the knowledge that funds raised will be ploughed straight back into promoting and defending your sport. Click 
Members of the shooting community have until 27th August to make submissions to a new inquiry into firearms control, set up by the Home Affairs Select Committee in the wake of the Cumbria shootings. We already have serious concerns that this inquiry has been set up before the results of the Cumbrian Police investigation have been announced, but we cannot simply ignore it. The Countryside Alliance will be making a full and robust response.
With the Election behind us we are all now looking ahead and planning our next moves on the campaigning front. Central to that plan of action for the Countryside Alliance is our campaign for shooting. Our work focuses on promotion, defence - and your participation. To that end, in the coming months you will see a variety of new advertisements featuring well known shooting supporters. These supporters, including comedian Alexander Armstrong, television presenter Phil Spencer and England Rugby League star Keiron Cunningham, are the stars of the first batch of adverts, focusing on the need to take action as our lawful shooting rights are eroded. You can view the Phil Spencer advertisement below.
Local people have known about the existence of a pair of eagle owls on the RSPB's upland reserve at Geltsdale since they first bred there in 2009, but the presence of these incredible birds with their 6 foot wingspan is something that the RSPB had been doing its best to keep under tight wraps. That is until questions started being asked in the media, and the RSPB finally had to admit to the pair, which this year fledged two young.
I’ve been known to miss a World Cup goal or two when answering the call of nature but I wasn’t quite prepared for what my friend had to say when I returned to our restaurant table. A busy gun trade man from the Midlands, he had checked his Blackberry to find breaking news from Cumbria. We all know what happened next. Lunch was suddenly over. He paid the bill; I had a train to catch.
