Today, we are at Ripley Castle and we are shooting
the ladies game day, with The Shotgun and Chelsea Bun Club.
So basically, a group of us who are members have joined together
to enjoy fantastic day of game shooting.
So many more ladies, so many more kids,
participating in the sport it's just incredible. I mean it used to be
you'd go to a shoot and it'll just be me, the only lady
or there be one or two other people, but you've never actually spoke to each other,
you've never really mixed
and now it's just everybody and anybody just wants to be
part of the whole shooting side of things, they just want to
have a cup of tea or something, have a drink after
and just get to know people and it's really great.
Victoria Knolwes-Lacks,
started up a ladies only shooting club
just because I think in history and tradition its been a very
male dominated sport, but in the modern day
its not, its all-encompassing from men, women
children and everybody gets involved.
But, she sometimes I think when you are female you do go to a clay club on your own
it can be a little bit daunting to start with, until you get to know people.
So the ice breaker was the Shotgun and Chelsea Bun Club.
Yes we do make cake and drink tea.
It's a ladies club where lots of women come together
on a weekend, enjoy each others company get to know people
and more importantly, get involved with local clubs and grounds
where
you just then start building friendships and you can go outside the group as well.
So, the club began because I started shooting with a load of
wonderful older chaps I just thought that
if you haven't got a in into shooting it's quite hard to get in,
get into it as a sport and as a hobby. So, we somehow managed to create this wonderfully
supportive and inclusive club.
Our values are
supportive, creating this wonderful community where all girls can be a part of it
no matter where you come from
or your level of abilities as a shooter.
And just kind of growing
in confidence, growing in ability
and experience and just sticking together really.
I'd say absolutely it's about community and kind of almost safety in numbers really.
It can be really scary to go to a shooting ground on your own,
especially if you're starting out, you don't really know what you're doing. So a lot of girls
together, it's non-threatening there's no pressure
and safety in numbers, it's good.
It makes me feel so proud
it's just wonderful, especially when a girl has started shooting through the club
and hasn't got any previously experience, for them to come along
kind of know the ropes, learn how to be a safe shot, learn how to tackle
driven and crossing birds
and then to appear in the right kit, with the loader and the gun,
it just makes me so proud.
Today I've been stood with a novice gun, who's not shot game before
and her first bird was just a remarkable moment really and we all kind of shared it,
her, the loader, her boyfriend and I. It just makes me so proud.
Generally on a normal game day
you would just turn up draw your pegs, have breakfast
a little bit of banter to and start shooting pheasants. But today it's slightly different
in that we do have some novice shooters
here today. So what they do to get your eye and get you going in the morning is
they have a bit of a flurry.
We've had four flurrys, 150 birds
I believe and it was good shooting, it's good to get you warmed up.
Just a while ago when all the ladies together and the social side
probably you have a nice meal at the end of it, you see a lot of beginners
shoot their first birds and that's just amazing and that's probably as much a buzz to see
newcomers coming into the sport I'm passionate about.
So that's incredible and to see them
just walk away at the end of the day with a smile on their face
it's just amazing and just to get to know different people.
I think the club's really good because
you don't have to be of a social etiquette to be part of it,
anybody and everybody can come along, whatever age,
whatever ability, whatever style, there's a really good mix of
people everybody and anybody can come along anybody and everybody can enjoy
the day
and they cater for a lot of people, a lot of different types of people.