The Levens Team Challenge in Cumbria has raised over £6,000 for its organisers, the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT). The annual event was held this year on Sunday 27th May, kindly hosted by Richard and Naomi Bagot. The proceeds will go towards funding the GWCT’s ground-breaking conservation research.
The challenge took place on a beautiful sunny day in the stunning setting of Levens Park at the gateway to the Lake District National Park. Fourteen teams of all ages enjoyed competing in a wide variety of sporting events from clay shooting, archery, gun dog scurries to fly fishing, quad-bike and trailer driving, digger manoeuvring and stone skimming. The Best Team prize was won by Gunning for the Double with a score of 162½ – beating runners up Teresa’s Jolly Good Fellows by 23 points.
The .410 bolting bunny event was won by Tom Biegel, a sharpshooter from London, although there was a play off between three people with the top score of five. The tie breaker took place at the gun dog scurry, where Tom proved to be gifted at dog handling and won by a good margin. The prize of a grouse moor scene painting was kindly donated by wildlife artist Alistair Makinson.
Other prizes went to ‘Guns ‘n’ Roses’ for Most Original Team Name, Josie Smith for Highest Scoring Lady Competitor and Whittington Estate for Most Tasty-Looking Cake!
At the end of the day, GWCT Lancashire chairman Nick Mason spoke about the importance of the GWCT’s scientific research, which demonstrates how land managed for game benefits so many other wildlife species. GWCT research papers and presentations also inform government and make a vital and active contribution to conservation policy.
The GWCT would like to thank the sponsors of the Levens Team Challenge, Rathbone Investment Management and Saffery Champness, whose representatives Tom Owen Jones and Alison Robinson took part in the competition with enthusiasm. Other sponsors were Davis & Bowring, Ashcroft Plant Ltd, J.G Paxton & Sons Ltd, Erik Aaron Shooting, Eric Verbeeck and Hewetson & Johnson; the GWCT is very grateful to them, to the Bagot Family, Alistair Makinson, Fieldsports magazine, and everyone else who contributed towards making the day such a resounding success.
The Cumbria and Lancashire GWCT committees are now planning further events for the rest of 2018. These include a walk with GWCT Advisor Jennie Stafford at the Greysouthen & Branthwaite Shoots on Monday 18th June, a dinner and sporting auction at the Inn at Whitewell on Thursday 11th October, and a pub quiz at The Plough, Lupton, on Thursday 29th November. For more details of these events, please contact nick.mason@davis-bowring.co.uk.
Membership of the GWCT is open to anyone interested in conservation, not just those involved with field sports. For more information about the Trust and its work, please visit www.gwct.org.uk.
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Photocaption: The Levens Team Challenge has raised over £6,000 for wildlife research.
Notes to editors
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust – providing research-led conservation for a thriving countryside. The GWCT is an independent wildlife conservation charity which has carried out scientific research into Britain’s game and wildlife since the 1930s. We advise farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats. We employ 22 post-doctoral scientists and 50 other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming, fish and statistics. We undertake our own research as well as projects funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies. The Trust is also responsible for a number of Government Biodiversity Action Plan species and is lead partner for grey partridge and joint lead partner for brown hare and black grouse.
For information, contact:
Eleanor Williams
Telephone: 07592 025476
Email: press@gwct.org.uk