Well guys the good news is that we raised around £915 for Help for Heroes so far, with a few more pledges and promised monies still to come in. My wife will be applying for charity matched giving from her employers who have a scheme that could just donate of up to an additional £500 if we are lucky, but let’s not count our chickens just yet as regards that. The other good news is that as well as all the old reprobates we met a few more site members this year and they all met the required standard of being genuinely nice people so should fit in well with the rest of you.
Just like the last two years most of us brought a sense of humour with us and it was as well the way that some of us shot (just joking). The banter is improving if not the shooting. That can’t be said for Miffy as he took this event seriously and put in some excellent scores, the result is that the trophy is not returning to Somerset this year which I suppose is just as well because the two previous winners BenC and Roedinator were travelling together. They have quite a friendly rivalry going in respect of all shooting matters and I had the feeling that if one of them had won again there might have been a falling out and someone would be looking for bus fare home.
I was particularly proud of the scores that my 12 year old daughter put in. She has been shooting for about six months now and her first card was a 90 her third a 93. Nerves got the better of her on the second card and she only scored in the seventies and was bitterly disappointed with that despite it being better than some of the more senior shooters. Incidentally it is a H.O. approved range and she is a club member so no problems with legality.
Macberran did us proud once again on the catering front and I really can’t thank him enough for that. I also can’t thank him enough for donating the proceeds of the let on his holiday cottage this week-end which he donated to the cause. There are some people that throw themselves fully into a cause and Macberran not only does that but does so with his entire family being volunteered also. Simply brilliant Macberran you and the family certainly deserve a very special mention in despatches at the very very least.
The whole success of the event as far as raising funds for H4H goes relies heavily on the good will and generosity of site members and others. Those such as Roedinator who donated a day roe stalking as a prize, Limulus who donated a set of Quad Sticks, Teckel a knife set, Schultz bottles of wine and others who are named on my list which my GWP pup has just sneaked off the desk and eaten so please forgive me for not naming you all individually. Those are just the individuals that have donated prizes this year there are others who should not be forgotten that have donated previously and whose contributions have not been forgotten and are still much appreciated. I also must not forget to make special mention to the Sportsman Gun Centre in Newport who once again donated prizes for the event and who gave me a ticking off for not approaching them direct when organising this year’s event. They have been very supportive in the past and continue to do so and as a result should continue to receive our custom in the future.
Disregarding the fund raising aspect this shoot continues to bring the site members closer together and is the one thing that has given me the greatest joy. Though I have to admit that by late yesterday afternoon my brain was cooked my spirit weakened and I was glad to pack all my gear in the car and toddle off home happy that it was over for another year and hadn’t been an entire flop. I had to pass “my local” on the way home and was only too happy to stop to rehydrate with a shandy something that I intend to do again tonight after exercising the pup who has decided it’s that time of the day.
Hope to see you all again next year!
P.S. Finnbear sort that bloody scope out, you’ve ruined my targets with that darn .45-70, my wife reckons that you don’t take this competition serious enough.