jamross65
Well-Known Member
I am currently involved in helping a friend of mine set up a Deerstalking Fair for the above dates. He has been involved in organising similar events in the past and has also attended fairs as a trader.
The event will be held at the Borders Union Agricultural Society Showground, Kelso. This is a fantastic exhibition venue offering a main and an auxiliary hall, both of which are heated as well as providing indoor catering facilities. It is hopefully not too far away so as to encourage friends from south of the border to attend as well!
The event will be similar to other Gamefairs except that all trade stands and exhibitors must in some way be connected to deerstalking. Whether that is a custom rifle builder to a company supplying larder equipment and everything in between. If there is no connection to deerstalking or of interest to stalkers, it wont be there.
The enquiries we have made with some traders and exhibitors suggest they are delighted that an event like this is being planned as they are also fed up going to fairs where all manner of non related stands are present.
We have spoken to some well known (at least well known in Scotland!!) folk (friends of ours) in the stalking world, including Callum Ferguson - Precision Rifle Services, Rudi Van Kets, President of the Flemish Hanoverian Scenthound Society, Colin Scott - Borders Taxidermy and the guys at CIC, who are all offering to provide short presentations throughout the day on various aspects of our sport, including tracking with dogs, preparing a beast for taxidermy, identifying aspects of a potential trophy and rifle related issues.
The CIC will have a trophy room display at the event showing numerous heads from the different species throughout their development, and will be inviting some of their continental counterparts over for the event as well. They will also be offering a head scoring facility throughout the fair which is part of the reason for this early post in the hope that anyone getting beasts this season worth scoring can keep them for the fair next spring, where they will also form part of the exhibition on that day.
The Stalking Directory who have kindly offered their support in this event will have a stand at the fair as well, which will be a great place for the members to meet up and scrounge free teas and coffee (and biscuits Jayb!). This event will no doubt be seen as much as a social event as offering the chance to pick up some good tips and advice, rub shoulders with fellow stalkers and even pick up a bargain!
Without the support of those in the trade and like-minded stalkers the event will not go ahead so please draw this to the attention of anyone you think may be interested.
The cost of entry will be £5 per person which includes free entry in a draw to win a Rivers West Stalking Smock, with children under 12 free! Parking is also free. There will be other prize draws available throughout the weekend. I know it seams cheap but this is the fair's first year and it is hoped this may even draw folk to come for the whole weekend. If it is a success it will become an annual event.
The Deerstalking Fair's website and email address is set up but not live yet. Once they can be accessed I will notify the SD members via this thread. It will be updated regularly on the blog to show exactly who is attending.
In the meantime if any trade members on here want to find out more about the event please drop me a PM.
My PC (broadband) is ridiculously slow just now but I will pop on a couple of relevant links later this evening.
http://www.buas.org/hall/
vlaamse zweethondengroep
http://www.precisionrifles.com/
http://www.bordertaxidermy.co.uk/
http://www.cictrophy.com/
http://www.deerstalkingfair.co.uk/blog/
The event will be held at the Borders Union Agricultural Society Showground, Kelso. This is a fantastic exhibition venue offering a main and an auxiliary hall, both of which are heated as well as providing indoor catering facilities. It is hopefully not too far away so as to encourage friends from south of the border to attend as well!
The event will be similar to other Gamefairs except that all trade stands and exhibitors must in some way be connected to deerstalking. Whether that is a custom rifle builder to a company supplying larder equipment and everything in between. If there is no connection to deerstalking or of interest to stalkers, it wont be there.
The enquiries we have made with some traders and exhibitors suggest they are delighted that an event like this is being planned as they are also fed up going to fairs where all manner of non related stands are present.
We have spoken to some well known (at least well known in Scotland!!) folk (friends of ours) in the stalking world, including Callum Ferguson - Precision Rifle Services, Rudi Van Kets, President of the Flemish Hanoverian Scenthound Society, Colin Scott - Borders Taxidermy and the guys at CIC, who are all offering to provide short presentations throughout the day on various aspects of our sport, including tracking with dogs, preparing a beast for taxidermy, identifying aspects of a potential trophy and rifle related issues.
The CIC will have a trophy room display at the event showing numerous heads from the different species throughout their development, and will be inviting some of their continental counterparts over for the event as well. They will also be offering a head scoring facility throughout the fair which is part of the reason for this early post in the hope that anyone getting beasts this season worth scoring can keep them for the fair next spring, where they will also form part of the exhibition on that day.
The Stalking Directory who have kindly offered their support in this event will have a stand at the fair as well, which will be a great place for the members to meet up and scrounge free teas and coffee (and biscuits Jayb!). This event will no doubt be seen as much as a social event as offering the chance to pick up some good tips and advice, rub shoulders with fellow stalkers and even pick up a bargain!
Without the support of those in the trade and like-minded stalkers the event will not go ahead so please draw this to the attention of anyone you think may be interested.
The cost of entry will be £5 per person which includes free entry in a draw to win a Rivers West Stalking Smock, with children under 12 free! Parking is also free. There will be other prize draws available throughout the weekend. I know it seams cheap but this is the fair's first year and it is hoped this may even draw folk to come for the whole weekend. If it is a success it will become an annual event.
The Deerstalking Fair's website and email address is set up but not live yet. Once they can be accessed I will notify the SD members via this thread. It will be updated regularly on the blog to show exactly who is attending.
In the meantime if any trade members on here want to find out more about the event please drop me a PM.
My PC (broadband) is ridiculously slow just now but I will pop on a couple of relevant links later this evening.
http://www.buas.org/hall/
vlaamse zweethondengroep
http://www.precisionrifles.com/
http://www.bordertaxidermy.co.uk/
http://www.cictrophy.com/
http://www.deerstalkingfair.co.uk/blog/
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