MORE than £16,000 has been raised by an annual clay shoot which returned after a two year break.
The 12th Test Valley Charity Clay Shoot returned with a bang on Thursday, May 5.
This year’s shoot saw 35 teams take part and they raised £16,080 which will be split between Cancer Research UK, the Countess of Brecknock Hospice and King’s Somborne Primary School PTA.
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Event chair, Simon Johnson, said: “It was a fantastic day raising money for our charities after an enforced break. It was really nice to see everyone back and shooting with a smile on their faces.”
Back after an enforced hiatus due to the pandemic, the fundraising event was held at Owls Lodge Shooting School in Longparish, Winchester.
The school, which is just off the A303 near to Longparish and Barton Stacey, is run by Olympic Gold Medalist Richard Faulds and his wife Tanya.
Richard has been shooting since he was nine years old. During this time, he has competed in five consecutive Olympic Games 1996-2012 where he made three top six finals and achieved one gold medal in the Sydney 2000 games.
Tanya is also an experienced sportswoman, and she has been involved with shooting all her life. Tanya has proved herself at various competitions around the world and twice represented England.
The annual fundraising event started back in 2009 and has since raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local and national charities.
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The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has been supporting the annual fundraiser for many years, helping run the Pool Shoot.
Michelle Nudds, BASC South East acting regional director, said: “It was great to see the shooting community out in force raising funds for both national and local charities. This is one of hundreds of shooting events across the country every week, raising millions of pounds for hundreds of charities.”
The day included a 100 bird clay shoot, bacon roll breakfast provided by John Robinson butchers in Stockbridge, tea and coffee, a two course lunch with wine, with a bar once the shooting finished.
An auction and a raffle was held, with a selection of fantastic items available, with proceeds going to our charities.
The overall winner of the Pool Shoot, Trevor Bell, received the trophy from Romsey MP Caroline Nokes.
For more information, email testvalleycharityclayshoot@gmail.com
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