Dear all,
My name is Charlie. I'm one of the new owners of the site and will be leading the mod/admin team going forward. Following Malcolm's post earlier in Announcements, I wanted to introduce myself and answer some of the questions that have been raised. Before I do, however, I want to extend my enormous and heartfelt thanks to Malcolm, Alex and John for their outstanding work over the last eighteen years. They have been instrumental in building an extraordinary resource, balancing freedom of discussion with a sensible level of respect among members. I'm acutely aware that we have some large boots to fill and my goal is to continue their work with the same focus on community and honesty.
Now for my introduction – and I consider this thread location appropriate despite originally posting here well over a decade ago under a different, more anonymous username. I was brought up in Oxfordshire and now live in Hampshire. I have been hill and woodland stalking for a little over twenty years and get out whenever I can, which is about once a week at the moment. I love researching/salivating over new kit even if it’s rare for me to treat myself and have been amazed at the developments in technology in deer management over the last twenty years. In addition to stalking, I have a keen interest in many rural pursuits and feel strongly that the countryside is less represented and understood than it could be in an increasingly urban world.
Like many of you, I realised very soon after joining the site that we have something special at The Stalking Directory and have been a supporter for many years to help the site run and achieve its broader aims. It's very important to me that the site retains its independence which allows all of us to share impartial information, improve our skills and enjoy our passion as well as educate others. We'll also be working to introduce more people to stalking and will continue funding a bursary to help stalkers gain basic deer management qualifications.
One or two of you have asked about data and I can assure you that all users' data will be treated in the same way and that the site will be administered in the same manner too. As you can imagine, this transition period is extremely busy for both the outgoing and incoming teams as there is a lot behind the scenes but I'm delighted to say that the handover is being fully supported to ensure such a valued resource is looked after appropriately.
I’ll be at The Stalking Show in April and hope to meet many of you there in person.
Best wishes,
Charlie
