Countryside Alliance - love the countryside

Andrew Newman, 16, gamekeeper

Andrew Newman is the definition of enthusiasm and a prime example of a young man destined for success in the countryside. Having grown up on a farm in the village of Clifton in rural Bedfordshire, he was exposed at an early age to the importance of food production, countryside custodianship and diversification for long-term business success – and at age ten he was committed to it. Although Andrew enjoyed helping his dad planting and harvesting the curly kale and beetroot, his real passion was for the farm’s shoot. He began his shooting career as soon as he could walk, working as a beater, but decided to take things one step further and became a gamekeeper.

While many of his peers want urban-based jobs, Andrew has always seen himself in the countryside. “All my other mates want jobs as accountants or engineers and I know it’s because the wages are higher, but I couldn’t spend eight hours a day behind a screen – I’m much happier getting my hands dirty”. But he wishes countryside careers were given more attention. “Careers advisors always bring in urban-based professionals to talk about their careers. It would be great if there was more countryside representation – we need to encourage young talent into the rural economy to ensure its sustainability.”  Andrew is completing a full-time BTECH in countryside management at Shuttleworth College in Bedfordshire to formalise his gamekeeping experience – he believes its key to his future success. “Although I’m already working as a gamekeeper, this course will show future employers I’m serious about my career and have the theoretical as well as the practical knowledge to excel in the job.”

However, Andrew is currently focusing his efforts on helping manage his family’s 100 acre mixed arable and woodland estate. The shoot is small and offers seven 100 bird days during the season, but juggling studies with gamekeeping work keeps Andrew on his toes. “My year begins in spring when I’m building the pens, planting cover crops, rearing game birds and controlling vermin. September is the busiest month because I also have to patrol the perimeter of the estate to keep the birds from wandering off to other shoots.” For most people this workload would suffice, but Andrew also finds time to train a lively springer spaniel and his discipline has paid off. “Before I got Phoebe, I read training books and picked up tips from local breeders, because I wanted to do a good job. All the hard work paid off when we won a Young Farmers gundog handling competition – she’s a great dog and I still spend an hour training her everyday.” It’s difficult for Andrew to pinpoint the best part of his job because he’s so enthusiastic about all facets of it – but one thing stands out. “Seeing the birds fly well and the guests enjoying themselves makes all the hard work worthwhile.”

The shoot employs around 15 beaters and with the guests being close friends and family it’s a relaxed affair. “Some days are better than others, and if we don’t get many birds no one really minds – they’re just happy to be in the fresh air. Also because a lot of the beaters have shoots themselves I often get invites – which is a real perk of the job.” At the end of shoot days Andrews’s grandmother provides a hot lunch for everyone, however many of the surrounding shoots, who aren’t lucky enough to call in Granny’s cooking skills, host their guests at local pubs. While Andrew is committed to rural life he is saddened that so many other young people can’t make that commitment. “A lot of the housing developments thrown up in the area don’t cater for the community. We need affordable housing for local workers, built around existing developments, not more expensive commuter hubs.” But with the season in full swing Andrew looks forward to red letter days on the shooting line.

Andrew Collins, 15, Beater.

Andrew Collins is a refreshing example of a teenager proving, like many in the countryside that in his world shooting equates to positive experiences. Having grown up in Woodredon Hill, rural Essex, he was introduced to shooting through his dad - who has worked as a forest keeper for the Corporation of London at Epping Forest for 16 years.  After receiving news of a beating opportunity on a nearby shoot Andrew decided to join his dad and give it a try. From day one Andrew was hooked, enjoying the ability to unwind through exercise, banter among friends and work his dog. Although Andrew sees his future in engineering he is passionate about shooting and wishes more local teenagers would take up beating because it’s a great alternative to boredom on the weekends.

When many of Andrew’s peers are still soundly asleep at 7am on Saturday mornings, he’s fed his dog, donned his wellies and is ready for action. Beating is not a job for the faint hearted. It involves walking up to ten miles per day, working with other beaters, to flush game birds out of thick cover in the direction of the shooters. Some of the birds are then shot and enjoyed as delicious food. “Some people think I’m mad to be up at the crack of dawn on the weekend, but I wouldn’t miss out on the fun. Everyone is there because they want to be and there’s a real feeling of team spirit which makes up for the sore limbs I end up with after a hard day”. While camaraderie on the shoot is important for Andrew so is the opportunity to clear his mind of the week’s worries. “Some people go to the gym as a form of release, but I find beating and being in natural surrounds helps me forget about my school work.” But there are other perks of the job which Andrew enjoys such as rubbing shoulders with celebrities.

Andrew beats on three game shooting estates in Essex which attract clients from the local area and London – some of whom are public figures. The estates range from a small syndicate to a large 2,000 acre estate which employs up to 20 other beaters on shoot days. “Vinny Jones shoots on one of my estates and a beating friend has taken Gordon Ramsay pigeon shooting. It’s great that more people are becoming aware of game as food and the contribution shooters make to getting wild food from field to fork.” But Andrew has his feet firmly on the floor and admits that the most rewarding aspect of beating is doing a good job. “Getting the birds to fly high in the right direction, seeing the guns enjoy themselves and the gamekeeper happy is the best part of the job.” And even when the going gets tough the team stick together. “Gamekeepers are under a lot of pressure to provide good shooting, so when they let off steam about issues we take it on the chin and try to make sure their hard work throughout the year becomes a reality on the day.

Although shooting is important to Andrew he doesn’t see his future in the countryside despite applying for a part-time job at his nearest shooting school.  “I’m going to study engineering at university because the salary and travel opportunities are better than those offered in rural jobs”. However, Andrew believes making the countryside economically appealing to young people would need a whole conceptual shift in how society views and values it. “So many people at school are ignorant about the countryside; they don’t see the links between rural sectors like shooting and conservation of environment – and as a result carry prejudices about it. Until we move away from the notion of the countryside as a theme park and start caring about and investing in the sectors that make it tick then it will continue to be viewed as a second rate place to work”. However with the shooting season in full swing, Andrew looks forward to taking his mind off school work and earning a little extra pocket money on the weekends.