GWCT’s Sundown Social at Wild by Tart in London on 15 September
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) is excited to announce The Sundown Social Drinks, a reprisal of last year's Sons & Daughters Dinner, in a bid to introduce the younger generations to its research and conservation work.
The event will take place on 15 September at Wild by Tart in London and encourages members and supporters of all ages to come along to celebrate and support the GWCT and its mission to preserve the great British countryside, listen to some fascinating presentations, and also raise funds vital for this unique work to continue.
The Sundown Social will be an engagement and educational drinks event, highlighting the Trust’s essential role in providing scientific research that underpins sustainable game management and enhances biodiversity.
Guests will be welcomed with a White Port cocktail reception, kindly sponsored by Taylor’s Port, before enjoying wine and canapés from the Wild by Tart kitchen. Guests will enjoy speeches and films from leading GWCT scientists and advisors and will be given insights into the Trust’s initiatives and ways to support biodiversity and nature recovery. There will also be an exclusive, one-off auction, where bidders can win the opportunity to experience, first hand, the projects and science the GWCT is undertaking - whether that be Salmon par tagging with the fisheries team, Woodcock ringing, or a trip to a Black Grouse Lek.
We are thrilled to have Justin Liddle, Managing Director of Mentzendorff, joining us for the evening. Justin brings decades of experience as a wine director and has a wealth of knowledge in the wine and spirits industry.
He says: "I am delighted to be speaking at the GWCT Sundown Social, it promises to be a fantastic evening of celebration and support for this important cause. Taylor’s Port are thrilled to be joining as a sponsor, ensuring guests can enjoy a perfectly crafted tipple on the night."
Our second speaker, Dr. Alastair Leake, is the Director of Policy at the GWCT and a skilled agricultural scientist and agronomist. Both speakers will be delivering highly insightful talks that are not to be missed.
The proceeds will fund scientific research that directly shapes government conservation policy and practices and promotes game and wildlife management as an essential part of nature conservation. Examples of this will be discussed throughout the evening by our key speakers.
This special night is designed to ignite a passion for conservation among future generations, ensuring continued support for the GWCT’s vital work.
Tickets are on sale now via the website.
Key Speakers:
Justin Liddle, Managing Director of Mentzendorff
Justin was lucky to be born into a family where wine and food were very much part of the social fabric. After finishing school, Justin took up his first role within the wine trade, initially working in the cellar and driving a van for a small London merchant, before taking up a role with the renowned German producer, Reichsrat Von Buhl in the Rheinpfalz.
Roles with Oddbins, the Barnes Wine Shop and Yapp Brothers followed, before joining Mentzendorff in 1998 as a Regional Sales Manager for the West of England. In 2004, Justin joined the Board of Mentzendorff in the role of Sales Director until 2008 when he left the business to become a partner in a small specialist Fine Wine merchant.
Justin re-joined Mentzendorff in 2017 and resumed his role on the board, before taking up the role of Managing Director in 2023.
Alastair Leake, Director of Policy at the GWCT
Director of policy and the Allerton Project for the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), Alastair is an agricultural scientist and BASIS-qualified agronomist. His work has focussed on combining productive farming with wildlife conservation. He has board-level experience with GWCT, Rothamsted Research, The Arable Group, Agricology and the UK Soil Management Initiative. He is a current board member of Natural England. Alastair received the 2023 National Agricultural Award from the Royal Agricultural Society for an outstanding contribution to the advancement of agriculture in the United Kingdom.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Taylor's Port are kindly sponsoring the Port for the evening
GWCT – Offering Hope for the future of Wildlife
For nearly 100 years the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust has been a champion for wildlife through an evidence-led approach to conservation. From waders to woodland birds, game management to farmland ecology, wild salmon to pollinators and black grouse to moorland conservation – the breadth of research carried out by the GWCT makes it unique. Through sound advice and support the GWCT helps farmers, land managers and conservationists across the UK succeed in their mission to enhance the British countryside.
The GWCT believes that wildlife can thrive if we focus on integrating it alongside other land uses, and that game management can be both sustainable, improve biodiversity and aid species recovery. More than 70% of the UK is made up of farmland - by following GWCT guidelines farms have shown they can double their songbird numbers and remain just as productive as before.
We employ more than 60 post-doctoral scientists and other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming, fish and statistics. Our research and projects are funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies.